Twisted Shadows
by Wolf-ODonnell
Summary: It is a couple of years after the defeat of Andross and the Star Wolf Team. A mysterious new Empire, the Trade Guild, ventures into the Lylat System and begins an onslaught against the Lylat System. Can the Lylat Alliance defeat the Trade Guild and its fe
1. Chapter 1: Battle at Ana

**Twisted Shadows:  
A New Star Fox Saga**

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

Author's Note: Here goes! It's another one of my What-happens-next-after-Andross-dies' fic. Once again, it's set in a different dimension from the other of my fanfics. And once again, it features characters from the Netherworld. The swearing has been censored, once again, with little asterisks that hides the second and third letters of the f**king swear word!

~ * ~

Prologue: The Fall of Silent Hill  
And the Lord God said, "The Man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live for ever." So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had taken.  
After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

The Bible.  
Genesis 4:22-24.

Location: Fascia. Year (according to the Fascia calendar): 2005. 

The young Fascian soldier made his way across the battlefield as the enemy troops slowly marched their way towards Silent Hill, where the Royal Palace was located.  
"Damn it! Why did the Trade Guild have to attack today of all days?" wondered the soldier, as he dived head forward into a ditch left over from a shell explosion. Just when the Fascians were going to demilitarise, the Guild had attacked them suddenly, leaving them no choice but to retaliate. No doubt, the Guild was after their new Recovery Pod technology, a new piece of medical equipment that healed wounds at quadruple the rate of naturally healing wounds.

There was another blast and a huge plasma bomb hurtled over his head and in the direction of Silent Hill. He heard an explosion and then turned round to see what had been hit. The Royal Palace had been hit! He prayed that the Royal Family were okay, but he knew that would be very unlikely. He turned round again and saw the Guild Troops move forward. He brought out his gun and fired furiously at the waves of advancing troops. There was another blast and a shell hurtled straight towards him.

Kofu Tarragon made his way down the corridor of the ship that hovered outside of Fascia, just above Silent Hill. At the end of the corridor was a door that was larger than the other doors within the mothership. As he approached it, the door slid open and he walked in. The room he walked into was of a Spartan in decoration, barely. A large potted plant stood in a corner each; each flooded with sunlight so they could photosynthesise and release vital oxygen into the air. Two banners hung down on either side of a large glass porthole that took up most of the far wall, each with Oriental characters written on them in black. At the porthole, stood a figure that looked out of the porthole and over Fascia. Kofu kneeled down on one knee, before addressing the person that stood at the porthole.  
"Lord Jingoist, sir, I have news from the frontline," said Kofu. "They've managed to capture a Recovery Pod unit and the Royal Palace at Silent Hill has fallen."

"Excellent," exclaimed a voice that came from the figure standing at the porthole. "I have no further use of this pitiful planet any longer. Send the Planet Busters down." The figure turned round to look at Kofu with soulless eyes and a hideous smile on his face. "You haven't seen a Planet Buster at work, have you, Kofu?"

"No, sir," came the timid reply that he barely managed to force through his throat.

"Well stay with me and watch. It is an incredible and marvellous experience that you shall never forget. The fireworks, when the planet blows apart, are a beautiful spectacle to watch." 

Chapter 1: Battle at Ana  
War is born from hate and feeds of hate. One death leads to another, leads to more hatred against the enemy, leads to another death, and eventually to the death of all concerned. Only when both sides are obliterated will War finally wither away. This is the beauty of war.

Lord Jingoist: Leader of the Trade Guild.  
The Beauty of War

A male chaffinch made his way across the corridor, along the red carpeted floor within the beige coloured corridors of the palace. The building was a hidden palace, hidden away from the view of public eyes and had been a perfect hideout from the Venomian Army when it took over Titania. It had been the HQ of the Titanian Liberation Front (TLF) once, when the Venomians gradually lost support from the Titanian people as the war progressed. He was dressed in a grey military uniform that sported the old TLF Emblem, a sun within a wreath, that had now been adopted for the Titanian Flag.

His name was Colonel Juan Franco, the favourite of General Phillip Gomez, the very Leader of the TLF, and now the President of Titania. The two had been friends from the very start, their radical hatred of Andross and all that he stood for, being the cement that had kept their friendship together. As the chaffinch made his way through the corridor, his thoughts began to wander towards peace. Andross was finally dead, and things were slowly being brought back together.

General Gomez, a large anthropomorphic bull, stared out of the window of his office within the Hidden Palace. He gazed far out over the sandy dunes and towards the distance where the Southern Ruins lay. It was there that the new Titanian capital was to be built in the shadows of the Southern Ruins, which were supposed to be haunted according to local myths and legends. A sudden knock on his door made the General turn round to face the door. Standing there was Col. Franco.  
"General Gomez, sir, may I come in?" asked Juan. The bull just nodded in reply. The chaffinch stepped into the office cautiously, as if it were hideously booby-trapped and walked across the sandy floor towards the general. "Sir, I have important news."

He brought out a folder from underneath his arm and handed it over to the General with a nervous look on his face. The bovine took it and opened it up, reading its contents. A worried look slowly took its place on the General's face.  
"Have you tried hailing the fleet?" asked Gen. Gomez.

"Yes, we have," replied Juan. "They haven't replied at all. Should we call for Cornerian assistance?" He watched, as the General's face was suddenly clouded over by an unidentifiable expression.

"Yes, I think that would be best," replied the bovine. "We have no idea as to how powerful these aliens' are."

As Fox looked out of the window his flat within Corneria City, he couldn't quite help but wonder what the future held for him and his family. He turned round and saw the picture hanging on the wall, the picture of his beloved wife, Fara and his two kids, James and Vixie, who had been named in honour of his dead parents. What did the future hold for them? He had no idea, but hoped that it would be good to them. However, the way things were looking, he wasn't sure that the future would hold anything for his kids. Recently, Helen Dyer became the first female President of Corneria. She had won narrowly over her opponent because of her promise to ensure that no more wars like the Lylat War would ever start again, by uniting the entire Lylat System under one ruler, namely, her.  
"She's starting to look like a second Andross to me," thought Fox carefully, as he looked out of the window and into the direction of the Lylat Alliance HQ.

He glanced over to the coffee table by his side and at the newspaper that lay on it. It had only been a few days after Andross' death, and none of the radio stations, or television stations for that matter, had been restored yet. It was only because of the newspaper that he knew about Ms. Dyer's rise to power. Suddenly, the phone rang. He quickly made his way across the living room section of the flat and quickly picked up the receiver before any of the kids could reach it.

Five Arwings were soon flying near to the planet of Titania, backed by Bill's Bulldog Team. The entire situation that Colonel Franco had found had scared both Corneria and Titania into thinking that the Lylat System was once again under threat.  
"Star Fox, you have orders to identify the object appearing at the Ana Radial. Assuming it is not Cornerian, on the acquisition of an appropriate lock you are ordered to immediately fire upon it. Do you copy?" Fox nodded. 

"Copy Titania. Orders recieved. Falco, Peppy, Slippy, Fara, you take it slow and lock onto the object when you can. Prep smart bombs but don't fire. I'll ID the craft on a flyby and give the firing order."

"Roger," Falco noted. 

"Over and done," Peppy intoned.

"Right Fox," Slippy said.

"I understand," Fara finished. Fox engaged his boosters and approached the unidentified object at a fast pace. The others quietly acquired their bomb locks. Fox examined the hull of what appeared to be a large mothership of sorts. It was dark grey and appeared to be like some gigantic donut shaped arachnid. Fox circled it several times, searching for marks. He sent an electronic survey into the device and data soon filled his com-screen.

"Well, it doesn't seem to be" began Fox, but before he could finish, several ships suddenly flew past the mothership from behind and opened fire on them. A few robots flew out from opening hangars within the mothership and these joined in on the assault on the Arwings. "Whoa!" exclaimed Fox. "Fire!" He suddenly saw a couple of smart bombs fly past his Arwing. "Watch it, guys. You nearly hit me! Slip, contact Titania right now. We need backup!" He turned his attention towards the enemy jets that were firing at him furiously. 

"No can do, I'm afraid," replied Slippy suddenly. "There's too much static, someone's cut off all our communications to Titania and any nearby fleets." Fox pulled on the trigger, and a flood of lasers shot out, hitting the jets. One jet burst into flames and crashed into another, the two of them reduced to metallic shards.

"That's bad," sighed Fox, as he barrel-rolled deflecting a couple of lasers. There was suddenly a bright flash as the four smart bombs hit the mothership.  
"Yes!" exclaimed Falco. "In your face!" As the ball of flames cleared, it soon became apparent that the combined explosion of the four smart bombs hadn't even dented the mothership one bit. "I don't believe it! That thing's still there, and there isn't even a dent in it! What is that thing made of?" 

"Some super-strong metal by the looks of it," replied Slippy, as he darted in between enemy jets. Another jet screamed towards him, firing at his Arwing mercilessly. A few of the lasers hit the wings of the Arwing, and one tore the left wing off, making the thing bank to its left side. Slippy veered leftwards, missing the oncoming enemy jet narrowly. "Whoa! Help me!"

"Why should we?" came Falco's reply.

"Don't worry, Slip!" exclaimed Fox, as he cut the engines and then pulled back. The Arwing flipped over as he started up the engines again and fired the boosters. The Arwing shot ahead, flying straight towards Slippy's troubled Arwing as quickly as possible. "I'm coming!"

"I don't think so, McCloud," crackled a familiar voice over the com-link. He looked back and saw four different ships flying towards him, ones that looked very much like Wolfen Jets. They were, in fact, based on Wolfen Jet designs, designs that Andrew Oikonny had taken with him when he fled Lylat. "That slimy toad is ours, whether you like it or not!" He opened fire on McCloud's Arwing. "How'd you like my new Darkwing Jet?"

"Andrew," growled a deep voice that Fox also recognised, "you'll have to introduce us to Star Fox some time. But not now. Lord Jingoist wants that frog." With that, Captain Kofu Tarragon fired the boosters of his Darkwing and flew towards Slippy's Arwing. An Arwing suddenly flew into his flight path and opened fire on Kofu's Darkwing. The lasers hurtled straight into the hull, scratching the paint off and damaging it.

"I don't think so, pal!" exclaimed Falco, as he fired again at Kofu's Darkwing. "We're not going to let you take one of our friends!"

"How touching!" exclaimed a squeaky, feminine voice, as he felt his Arwing shudder from being hit in the tail by enemy fire. The Darkwing that was behind him quickly fired its boosters to catch up with Falco's Arwing, so that it was flying beside it. As Kofu flew overhead, Falco turned to see his assailant. She was a mouse with blonde fur and white streaks on her head. "Falco Lombardi, I presume? I've heard so much about you. By the way, the name's Miasma." She flew closer, placing the right wing of her Darkwing underneath the left wing of Falco's Arwing. She grinned, as she barrel-rolled, making Falco's Arwing veer to the right and straight into the path of Peppy's Arwing.

The old hare quickly banked to the right, avoiding Falco's Arwing.  
"Whoa! Now that was a close one!" exclaimed Peppy with a sigh of relief. His Arwing suddenly shuddered as a Darkwing open fire on it. He quickly pulled up, performed a somersault, letting the Darkwing fly past beneath him.

"Heh, heh, you're a feisty one, eh?" exclaimed a voice with something similar to a Russian accent. "The name's Morton, Kappa Morton, not that it'll matter when you're dead." The anthropomorphic bear, that piloted the Darkwing, performed a somersault himself, opening fire on Peppy's Arwing when he ended up behind him. "I heard that Star Fox supposed to be best in Lylat, but you are pretty disappointing. You're no match for us!"

"I beg to differ," exclaimed Peppy, as he pushed his control stick forward, and fired the retro-boosters. Kappa's Darkwing shot forward into the distance, as Peppy pulled up and then pulled the trigger. A stream of lasers flew out and hit the Darkwing in the rear, a few of them missing it and tearing off the left wing. Peppy smiled when he heard the bear curse loudly over the com-link, before the ursine abruptly switched his com-link off. His smile was soon wiped clean off his face, when a high-pitched voice suddenly screamed through the com-link. It was Slippy, he was in trouble.

Kofu smiled evilly, as he flicked the switch. Suddenly, Slippy's engines were abruptly cut off. The lion's Darkwing had had a new piece of technology fitted to it, only recently. It was like a gigantic claw and had latched itself around Slippy's Arwing, attaching itself to the ship. A probe had gone deep inside the Arwing, killing the engine, so that Kofu controlled the direction of the entire Arwing.  
"My you fools are so easy to defeat," laughed Kofu, as he quickly fired his boosters and flew back towards the mothership. "Miasma, Andrew, cover me. I'm going to make a break for the mothership."

Fox u-turned and aimed carefully at Kofu's Darkwing.  
"Hold on, Slip, I'm coming for ya'!" exclaimed Fox.

"There's nothing else I can do," replied Slippy, as he looked to his right. Fox's Arwing was flying towards his at incredible speeds in an attempt to catch up with Captain Kofu Tarragon's Darkwing. "Please, please let us win," prayed Slippy quietly, as he sat in the Arwing, unable to do anything against the Darkwing. A thought then dawned on him. "Fox! No! If you destroy his jet, who'll pilot mine? The engine's died completely, I won't be able to survive out here!"

"That's right, Foxy!" exclaimed Kofu mockingly. "You do anything to harm me, you'll inevitably harm your slimy friend here. Now let me past!" He fired his boosters one more time and flew quickly past the other enemy jets and towards the mothership. A hatch dropped down from the mothership and Kofu flew through it, before the hatch rose back up and the entrance to the ship disappeared.

"Now wipe them out!" came the order from the mothership, and the enemy ships set about to attempt that. Two groups of five enemy jets flew towards each Lylatian ship from behind and from in front, firing furiously simultaneously. The barrage of lasers battered against the Lylatian ships violently, scraping paint off and denting the bodywork. One Bulldog Jet burst into flames and was torn apart by the explosion of its own engine, taking the pilot's life with it.

"There's too many of them!" exclaimed Fox. "Everyone retreat! We can't possibly fend them all off!" As they turned back and flew away reluctantly, tears streamed from Fox's eyes. He had lost a friend to those aliens, aliens that were even now, advancing towards Titania in a possible conquest attempt. "We'll back for you, Slip. Don't give up hope just yet."

* * *

Star Fox and all related characters and places are copyrighted by Nintendo Ltd.   
Jingoist, Lucretia, Kofu, Miasma and Kappa are copyrighted by me.


	2. Chapter 2: Escape

**Twisted Shadows:  
A New Star Fox Saga**

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

Author's Note: Here goes! It's another one of my What-happens-next-after-Andross-dies' fic. Once again, it's set in a different dimension from the other of my fanfics. And once again, it features characters from the Dark World. The swearing has been censored, once again, with little asterisks that hides the second and third letters of the f**king swear word!

~ * ~

Chapter 2: Escape  
Free flow of information is the only safeguard against tyranny. The once-chained people whose leaders at last lose their grip on information flow will soon burst with freedom and vitality, but the free nation gradually constricting its grip on public discourse has begun its rapid slide into despotism. Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master.

Head of the Lylat Alliance

Kofu's Hercules Team all stood in the same room, watching as a large gerfalcon stared wearily out of the porthole at the sandy desert of Titania. His name was Colonel Ipecac Gerfalcon, and he was one of the best soldiers within Lord Jingoist's Trade Guild. As he stood within the office, staring out and into the desert he couldn't help but wonder how the Titanians could survive out there. He turned round to look at the Hercules Team with a menacing glare.  
"I trust it that you have the toad that Lord Jingoist wants, am I right?" exclaimed Ipecac, finally breaking the silence.

"That's right, sir," replied Kofu unblinkingly. "He's ready for interrogation."

"Jingoist doesn't want him for interrogation, Tarragon," snarled Ipecac angrily. "Lord Jingoist wants Toad to work for us. He's an invaluable mechanic who could be of good worth to us. If you have harmed him or intimidated him in any way, you could have cost us his service and loyalty."

"But I thought that" began Kofu, before he was suddenly interrupted by Gerfalcon.

"You ignorant fool, we have all the information we need," interrupted Ipecac. "We know where to search for what we want. There is nothing we don't have or don't know how to get. Interrogation is really something unnecessary, after all, we aren't at war with Lylat yet." He walked over the metallic floor, so that he was closer to the Kofu Team and they could see him better being blinded by the light. He was wearing the uniform of the Trade Guild, white gloves and boots with black vest armour and a blue jump suit underneath. Sewn on the left sleeve near the shoulder of the jump suit, was the Trade Guild insignia, a T superimposed on a letter G. "Go back to wherever you have him held and undo all restraints on him. Take him to the Living Quarters 12 and ensure that his stay here is pleasant until he is needed for a job interview' with Lord Jingoist."

Katt Monroe looked out across the dune and towards the mothership that stood within the sand, its base lifted up by crab-like metallic legs'. She wondered why the ship didn't sink into it, but soon dismissed that thought; it was unimportant. The feline knew, however, that what was important was to try and find a way of freeing Slippy Toad from the clutches of the aliens, who she knew had something to do with the Trade Guild that she had heard so much about. Yes, rumours of the Trade Guild have spread across the galaxy and had even reached Lylat. From what she knew, the Trade Guild was a horribly evil empire that did everything in its power to conquer nations, steal their technology and resources, and if there was a demand, sell them for profit. She had even heard the rumours that the Trade Guild even sold whole planets as well and destroyed those with nothing useful on them.  
"All right, Katt, you know what you've got to do," she sighed. She got up quickly and slid down the dune to the bottom, running towards the mothership across a route that would hopefully leave her undetected.

As she darted across the sandy desert, she couldn't help but wonder what exactly the Trade Guild was up to. During the Lylat War, Venom had used up all of Titania's resources, so it couldn't be that that the Guild was after. Perhaps she had enough time to infiltrate their databases and steal some vital info. Without warning, a huge cloud of dust burst out from underneath the Trade Guild mothership and billowed out towards her. She covered her eyes, as the sand lashed towards her viciously.  
"What the heck is going on?" wondered Katt, as she crouched down, facing away from the sand.

Slippy opened his eyes gradually, frightened of what he would see. The last thing he remembered before passing out mysteriously, was being steered towards the alien mothership, unaware of what dangers and evil would lurk within it. As he looked up, all he could see was grey. He craned his head and found himself within a bunk bed, and to the best of his knowledge, unchained and unrestrained. He sat up and then looked around him. He was on the top bunk, a thing which he had never experienced before. Where was he? His bed wasn't a bunk bed, and as far as he knew, no one else that he knew had a bunk bed. It suddenly became apparent that he was indeed on the mothership, but trapped in someone's bedroom.

He jumped off and on to the floor, looking around. The walls were bare and there was only one potted plant in the corner, located underneath a lamp that shone on it brightly. He could see a mirror hanging over a sink to one side of the room. It was then that he saw a photo in a gold frame, standing proudly on top of a four-drawer cabinet that stood near the bed. Slippy went over it and picked it up, examining the photo carefully. His eyes glanced over the four anthropomorphic animals that stood there, each of them wearing Trade Guild uniforms. In the centre was a grand, regal-looking lion and to his right was a female mouse. Standing behind them was a large, brown bear and to the lion's right was Andrew Oikonny. Several horrible thoughts of what might happen to him rushed through his head. He put the photo down and darted for the door.

Suddenly, it slid open, revealing the large lion that owned the picture, Kofu Tarragon.  
"We're not trying to escape, now are we?" laughed Kofu, his deep voice, seeming very intimidating to the small frog. He stepped closer to Slippy, as he backed off. "I certainly hope not, 'cos it would be a shame for you to miss out on the opportunity you're going to be given." A large smile spread across his leonine muzzle, making Slippy's heart beat more faster. He would have been lying if he said he weren't afraid of the large lion, the Captain of the Hercules Team, who was now advancing menacingly towards him.

"Please don't hurt me!" whimpered Slippy timidly. "You'll be sorry if you do." Kofu laughed upon hearing what the frog had said.

"Sorry?" exclaimed Kofu in a mocking manner. "And why would that be, huh?" He waited for the reply, which didn't come. Slippy was so afraid that the words couldn't even come out. "Well, I guess you're right in a strange way. Lord Jingoist would kill me if you were harmed in anyway."

"Why is that?" stammered Slippy nervously, as he suddenly felt his back press up against the post of the bunk bed.

" 'Cos Lord Jingoist wants to have a little word with you," replied the lion. "Let's just say, he wants to make you an offer you can't refuse."

The pink-furred feline made her way through the corridors of the mothership as quickly as she could. Having just downloaded all the information she could on to several discs, Katt was on her way to find Slippy. As she sneaked down the corridor, she couldn't help but wonder exactly how the Trade Guild could have got away with such poor computer security. Even the Venomians didn't have such lousy encryption methods, and this was the best mothership in the entire Guild's fleet. It was called _Darkstar_, as far she could tell, and was the very one that Lord Jingoist used himself. Her acute sense of hearing heard a sharp, high-pitched voice squeak out in the distance; it was Slippy!

"I'll never see Jingoist, Tarragon!" exclaimed Slippy, as he tried to struggle free of the leonine's strong, vice-like grip. "Forget it! I'll never betray my friends like that. Tell him, he can take the new position and shove it up his complacent" Kofu tightened his grip on the frog's hand, almost crushing it. The pain shot through his nerves like wildfire, making him squeak in pain.

"We're giving you a new, privileged life!" cried Kofu angrily, as he jerked on Slippy's arm. "You won't have to take orders from anyone but Jingoist and his bodyguards! That's four people in the entire Trade Guild! You can boss the rest around yourself! Andross took Jingoist's offer, why can't you?"

"Like he said, big boy, he won't betray his friends," came a familiar-sounding, female voice. The lion and Slippy turned round to look in the direction of the source of the voice. Katt stood there, smiling, her tail flicking left and right sharply. "Now, let go of him, sugar, or you really will regret it." A toothy smile spread across the leonine's face.

"Ooh, what are you going to do, darling?" asked Kofu with a mocking tone in his voice. It was Katt's turn to smile, as the plan began to take shape. In the blink of an eye, she darted across over towards him and kneed him quickly in the groins, making him double over in pain, releasing Slippy. 

"You okay, sugar?" she asked the amphibian, as Kofu sank to the metallic floor. He nodded silently in reply. "Okay, let's get out of here then." She then turned to face the lion. "Never underestimate your enemy, darling'." She watched, puzzled, as a smile slowly spread across the leonine's face.

"Exactly, my dear," hissed Kofu through clenched teeth, as he slowly reached for something in his back pocket. Before Katt could stop him, he brought out his knife and threw it. It flew past her ear, nearly cutting it and straight into a red button on the metallic wall to her left. Immediately, an alarm wailed through the entire mothership. "Never underestimate me." He know knew that the guards would be mobilised, and it would only be a matter of time before that atrociously pink feline was captured.

Katt quickly grabbed Slippy by the hand and pulled him along the corridor with her, as she ran away from Kofu and the sound of advancing troops. The pounding of boots against the metallic floor echoed in her ears, helping bad memories from the Lylat War bubble up to the surface of her conscious mind.  
"We've got to get out of here, and quickly!" she exclaimed, as she quickly turned left, pulling the amphibian along with her.

"No, wait!" exclaimed Slippy, as he saw shadows suddenly elongate and splatter across the wall in front of them.

"Shoot!" exclaimed Katt, as she suddenly realised that they were surrounded; troops were coming from in front and behind, and they were both trapped in the middle of the corridor. She looked around her quickly, hoping for something that would save them.

"They're over here, men!" cried Kofu, as he led the Guild Troops through the corridor and turned left, just as the troops arriving from the other side ran into it. The two groups skidded to a halt, both of them staring at the space in between them. "What the? Where'd they go? I don't understand! I saw them run into here!" He advanced closer towards the spot where Katt and Slippy had been standing a moment ago, looking around him carefully for any clues as to where they could have gone. Suddenly, he spotted the ventilation shaft above him; its grille wrenched wide open. "They're in the ventilation system!" he snarled angrily. "I want all possible exits covered. They must not escape!"

"Move out of the way!" cried a voice from behind the group of soldiers. They quickly parted to the sides, as Ipecac Gerfalcon made his way past them like Moses across the Red Sea. "What is the meaning of this, Tarragon?"

"The prisoner has escaped through the ventilation system, sir," replied Kofu, averting his gaze from the angry Colonel, "and with a spy." He looked toward the gerfalcon and saw an infuriated and stressed expression on his feathered face, one that did not look good. "Don't worry, they won't escape. I've got everything under control."

"No you haven't," replied Ipecac. "I'm taking full control of this situation." He quickly turned round to glare at the other soldiers angrily. "I want you all to spread out. Guard every single escape route you can. You, go to Climate Control and tell them to turn up the heat full blast, we'll flush them out of the vents. Now, go!"

"Yes, sir!" came the militaristic chorus, and the soldiers immediately scattered.

"As for you, Tarragon," said Ipecac, as he turned round to face the lion, "if Jingoist found out about this"

"Too late," came a rasping voice from behind them. The two turned round to see a figure standing there, glaring at them as if they were hunks of meat, ready to consume. The person was an anthropomorphic vulture with cold, soulless eyes that seemed to bore into the two of them, as if searching for their souls. Such eyes seemed to drain the very warmth out of them, as the vulture approached them. He was one of Jingoist's two bodyguards and his name was Morgue. "Lord Jingoist wants to see you, and let me say this, he ain't very pleased"

"Is it just me, or is it getting really hot in here?" whispered Slippy, as he crawled along the ventilation shaft behind Katt. He was sweating, making him glisten in what little light there was available.

"You're right," gasped Katt, as she continued on her way across the metal. She could feel it starting to warm and hoped that it wouldn't get any hotter. "I think they know we're here, and in that case, that means they're trying to flush us out, or kill us." The amphibian shivered at the thought, which made his blood run cold. They soon came to a crossroads', having three shafts to choose from. "Let's turn here." She took the right vent and crawled along it, before sliding down a little slope. Slippy followed straight after her, sliding a little more effortlessly than she did.

"Out of interest, where are you taking us?" asked Slippy.

"Out of here, what'd you expect?"

"No, I mean, how?" asked Slippy. "Surely, if they plan to flush us out, all possible exits from this system have been guarded."

"All but a few, Slip," replied Katt with a smile, as she wiped off some sweat from her dampened fur. "There's a few shafts that lead out straight into the open, which they open only when on the ground for obvious reasons. They can't possible guard these shafts, 'cos they lead out of the ship, and straight into the open. These shafts are midway up the side of the ship, wouldn't think of us getting out through those, 'cos fans are in the way."

"I suppose you're going to break through them?" asked Slippy.

"I sure am," replied Katt. "Nothing can keep us in here. You're with the best spy in Lylat. I can get out of any tricky spot you can put me in." She turned round to look where she was going. The metal they were crawling on was starting to get unbearably hot, as the hot air flowed through the mothership. The desert air that was filtered through the ventilation system didn't help either, as it hadn't lost any of its heat. The air in front of her started to blur and shimmer. Katt turned round to check that the amphibian was still behind her, and indeed he was, although he was losing a lot of water through sweating. "Hang on, Slip. We're nearly there!" She suddenly stopped, as she heard a strange metallic scraping sound. Both Slippy and Katt looked behind them in curiosity, to see a grille wrench away and a head pop out from the shaft's entrance.

"I've found them, sir!" cried the Guild soldier.

"Quick!" exclaimed Katt, as she crawled into a narrow, confined space to her left, Slippy following close behind. They quickly shuffled along the shaft, aware that the soldiers were now prepared to go into the vents after them. "This way," she hissed, as she turned right round a corner. The pounding of metal could be heard from behind, getting louder, alerting them to advancing troops. As they rounded the next corner, her eyes picked up some light up ahead, and it didn't seem artificially bright. It was almost golden.

The room was completely silent, as the Hercules Team stood with Colonel Gerfalcon quietly, waiting. A large, almost domed porthole took up almost the entire wall in front of them. Through this porthole, the light of the setting sun shone through, silhouetting three figures that stood at the window. Two of them were glaring at them with strange, sinister smiles on their faces. All of them within the room, except for the middle of the figures at the porthole, wore the Trade Guild uniforms. Kofu looked at his team, all of which stood still, yet he knew they were hiding their fear of Lord Jingoist, and expertly at that. His gaze then trailed towards the monsters that stood at the porthole, and towards the two on either side of the middle person. These horrible creatures were Jingoist's two bodyguards, Actoi Curare and Morgue Strychnine.

Actoi was a short, tubby, red and black frog. It was said that he was poisonous, but no one knew for sure. Those who possibly did were dead and buried, possibly killed by him. The one to the right was Morgue Strychnine, a vulture with red eyes that glazed with fury and hatred. It has been said that eyes are the mirrors of the soul, yet these eyes as far as he could tell from looking into them, had none. These two were said to be very strong and very agile, able to kill the largest and strongest of opponents with only a few blows. The most terrifying person in the Trade Guild, however, was the person that stood in between them, the person who had hired them as his bodyguards.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. It slid open, revealing a low-ranking soldier on the other side.  
"Ah, Private, we've been expecting you," said Gerfalcon, almost stuttering because of the close proximity to Lord Jingoist. "Have you the information we asked for?"

"Yes, sir," replied the Private. "The spy who was with Slippy Toad was a feline from Zoness by the name of Katt Monroe."

"Have they been captured yet?" asked Gerfalcon.

"I'm afraid not, sir," replied the Private. "Last we saw of them, they were escaping across the desert." This news infuriated Ipecac, who reached for a gun in his holster, ready to blast a hole through the Private's head.

"Thank you for that enlightening piece of information. You may leave now, Private" hissed a rasping and hissing voice that seemed to come from the person standing in between Morgue and Actoi. The soldier bowed respectfully to Lord Jingoist, before leaving, as the doors closed behind him. "You hear that, Ipecac?" hissed Jingoist, as he turned round to face Ipecac and the Hercules Team. Soulless eyes glared at them from inside Jingoist's skull, a gaze that seemed to pierce them. Lord Jingoist was a sandy-coloured lizard, dressed in a black military uniform similar to that of German Imperial Guards during the days of the Second Reich, black boots, black military trousers with a red pinstripe down each side, and white gloves. "Mr. Toad is now gone and that spy has taken some valuable information with her. Now the Lylatians will know of my little scheme here on Titania." A smile formed on Jingoist's face, as he walked slowly over towards Ipecac.

"I'm sorry, sir," apologised Gerfalcon, as he bowed his head in respect. "I will make up for this, I swear!" He looked up, to see Jingoist standing right next to him, a cruel smile on his face. The lizard placed one gloved hand on Ipecac's face, and brushed it down.

"I'm sure you will," hissed Jingoist, as the hand brushed down to the throat and then grasped it tightly. He lifted the gerfalcon off the metallic floor with one arm effortlessly, as if the avian weighed nothing. "You will make up for your mistake in full." The lizard clenched his other hand and punched Ipecac in the stomach, sending tendrils of pain crashing over him. He let go of Ipecac, letting him crash down on to the floor. "Fail me again, and you will find out how painful death can really be." Lord Jingoist turned round to face the Hercules Team, as Actoi and Morgue watched on with pleasure. "I trust, Captain, that you and your team won't fail me?"

The lion nodded in reply.  
"Yes, Lord Jingoist," replied Kofu. "We shall do everything in our power to fulfil your command." His fur stood on end, as he watched that cruel smile spread across Jingoist's face again.

"Excellent!" laughed Jingoist. "We shall find out where the Shadows of Abomination are, and then, finally, revenge shall be mine!"

* * *

Star Fox and all related characters and places are copyrighted by Nintendo Ltd.   
Jingoist, Lucretia, Kofu, Miasma and Kappa are copyrighted by me.


	3. Chapter 3: Not Tomorrow

**Twisted Shadows:  
A New Star Fox Saga**

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

Author's Note: Here goes! It's another one of my What-happens-next-after-Andross-dies' fic. Once again, it's set in a different dimension from the other of my fanfics. And once again, it features characters from the Dark World. The swearing has been censored, once again, with little asterisks that hides the second and third letters of the f**king swear word!

~ * ~

Chapter 3: Not Tomorrow  
There is nothing quite like war. It is a beautiful experience, the ultimate expression of our species' primal instincts perverted by modern life. It is the ultimate display of survival and of the Laws of Nature. It is a display of our very nature, of the Selfish Gene, of which we all have. To fight a war without living anthropomorphic beings is to take away its horror and its beauty. We must never forget when fighting a war that the person on the other end of your weapon, is just like you.

Lord Jingoist  
The Beauty of War

They all walked down the corridor and into the hangar, where Katt's pink ship awaited her.  
"I can't thank you enough for saving me," thanked Slippy with a grateful expression on his face. "And I know the others are grateful for what you've done for us."

"We sure are, Katt," exclaimed Fox, as he walked towards the two. "You sure you won't stay with us a while longer?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," replied Katt. She looked out towards the end of the hangar, her gaze passing over the Arwings and then towards her own ship. "It won't be long before we're all called into action against the Trade Guild." A thought suddenly hit her, and she reached into her pockets. "Here, you'll be needing this," said Katt, as she brought out a disk and handed it to Slippy. "It's got all the schematics I could find of Trade Guild technology."

"Oh no, I couldn't take it," said Slippy, as he handed it back to the pink-furred feline.

"Don't worry," said Katt, as she pushed the disk back towards Slippy. "I've got a copy myself. Keep it. You'll need it." She looked at her watch and then sighed. "Well, I guess I've got to be going. There's plenty for me to do out there, and so little time to do it in. I'll see ya' guys later, 'kay?" She turned round and went towards her ship, walking lightly across the metal. It was long before she was in it and flying well away from the Great Fox and into the direction of Zoness.

Lord Jingoist looked out of the porthole with a self-satisfied smile on his face. He had been standing there, as still as a statue, for the past two hours, not moving one inch. He was starting to worry both his bodyguards, Actoi and Morgue.  
"Sir, is something wrong?" asked Morgue with a worried expression on his face, as he advanced towards Jingoist.

"No, Morgue, nothing's wrong," replied Jingoist, as he continued to stare out of the porthole and into the desert. He lifted a finger and pointed out towards the horizon, "Do you see that large and unforgiving desert?"

"Of course, sire," replied Actoi, who was wondering where this was going. He looked out towards where Lord Jingoist was pointing and towards where he was looking. "Why'd you ask?"

"Somewhere out there, according to the information Oikonny stole from Andross' computer, are the Shadows of Abomination," hissed Jingoist in reply. "Andross found a map that pointed to Titania, but couldn't quite find out where the Shadows of Abomination were. This weapon, the Shadows of Abomination, are something that I desperately need to find, if I am to become sole master of this pitiful Universe." The lizard turned round and walked away from the porthole. "It is imperative that I find this dark weapon for my revenge to be complete." Jingoist's eyes narrowed and his hands clenched tightly into fists, as he remembered the event, seven years ago just after the Lylat War had started.

* * *

Wolf O'Donnell looked at the pitiful soldier, as he knelt before Emperor Andross. The soldier, a racoon, was desperately trying to plead for his life, begging for the Emperor's forgiveness. He then turned his attention towards Leon, who stood on the other side of the Emperor. He too was feeling nervous and the lupine could tell from the look in the chameleon's eyes.  
"No more excuses, General!" exclaimed Andross angrily, as he rose up from his throne. "You have failed me for the last time!"

"But, sire, I've managed to capture Titania for you!" exclaimed the racoon. "And in one day!" he added. "Is that not good enough?"

"Your failure has outweighed your successes," replied Andross. "You are incompetent at everything, including begging for your own life!" His eyes narrowed, as he pressed a button on the underside of one of the throne's arm. Wolf looked on, as the General fell through a trapdoor in the floor and most likely to the rotating blades that Andross had had installed down at the bottom of the pit. "That General didn't deserve to live." A hissing chuckle made Andross, Leon and Wolf turn round, as the trapdoor closed up again.

Someone walked out of the shadows of the sides of the throne room and into the light that shone dimly from the chandeliers.  
"Really, Andross, that was very uncalled for," chuckled Jingoist, as he walked into the room, arms crossed behind his back. "So he was slow in capturing planets; I am a patient man, I could have waited." The lizard laughed. "Oh, what a waste of life that was!" Andross moved away from the throne, and Jingoist sat down in it complacently. "Well, my dear Lieutenant, how is your Empire expanding?"

"My Empire?" exclaimed Andross. "It's doing very well, I might add. The planets are available for plundering. Today, we've managed to mine 20 tonnes of coal from Titania for you. I trust the Trade Guild will be able to sell it?"

"I'm afraid there isn't a demand for coal any more," replied Jingoist, as he glared into Andross' eyes. "There is a great demand for oil, however, and I hear that Zoness has plenty of it."

"That is our next target, sir," replied Andross respectfully, hoping that that remark would please his master. He knew that Jingoist was powerful enough to kill him, and that no matter what he did, he would never be able to harm Jingoist. How he regretted the day he joined the Trade Guild. The Guild had provided him with all the things he had ever wanted, the resources and technology for his experiments. However, in return, he had to create bio-weapons for the Guild. When one got loose, it was curtains for his secret project. The bio-weapon destroyed major Cornerian cities, and it was soon found out that he was its creator. He was captured and charged with treason. That was curtains for him. He was exiled, but the Trade Guild still had use for him. They had made him the Emperor of Venom, and had given him the weapons and technology to conquer Lylat for them. The only thing that stopped him from being the true Emperor was Jingoist. He had heard about the last Emperor' that had defied Jingoist. That Emperor was liquefied and his DNA sold.

"That is good to hear, Andross," hissed Jingoist. "But let me tell you this. When you are finished, I want you to search for the Shadows of Abomination. It is the ultimate weapon and I know it is hidden somewhere in Lylat. That is why you must conquer it completely. I shall use that weapon to completely annihilate all my enemies, and then I shall be sole Master of the Universe. I trust you won't fail me in that matter, will you?" The Emperor' shook his head. "Good."

The doors to the throne room suddenly burst open, and a fat pig wearing the uniform of the Star Fox Team, walked into the room, followed closely by two soldiers that held a prisoner in between them.  
"Dr. Andross, I have a little present for you!" exclaimed Pigma proudly, as he displayed James McCloud to the Emperor. "It's James McCloud, just as I promised."

"Dengar! Can't you see I'm in a meeting?" exclaimed Andross angrily.

"Andross, how many times have I told you not to loose your temper?" hissed Jingoist calmly. He looked towards James McCloud and then grinned. "If I remember correctly, wasn't it him and his team that ruined our efforts to take Aquas?"

"Yes, it was, sir," replied Andross, as he turned to look at Jingoist, but found that the lizard was no longer sitting on the throne, but walking towards McCloud. He watched as the pig stepped aside, and Jingoist advanced towards the fox. "Lord Jingoist, would you" The lizard immediately turned round to glare at him, and Andross silenced himself.

"So, you are the famous, James McCloud," hissed Jingoist. "Do you know who I am?" The fox shook his head in reply. "I am Lord Jingoist, Master of the Trade Guild and all that I survey. It is my Guild that is responsible for the weapons that Andross uses and responsible for the Aquas attack that you foiled two years ago. Do you remember that, McCloud?"

"I do," replied James, as he looked up at Jingoist with a defiant expression on his face. "You monster! How on earth could you order your troops to commit pure genocide?"

"Quite easily, actually," replied Jingoist. He bent down, hands on knees, so that his face was level with the kneeling McCloud. "I have a proposition for you. Why don't you join us in the Trade Guild and serve me? We could use a talented pilot and soldier like you." The smile on the lizard's face widened. "You'd be paid handsomely and protected under my Treaty, just like Andross is."

"I'll never betray Corneria," replied James.

"Have it your way then," said Jingoist, as he straightened. He turned round and then started walking away. "If we can't have you on our side, then you can't be on the enemy's side either. Terminate him." The lizard heard the fox struggling to get free of the two soldiers that held him, but knew that would be futile. Suddenly, he heard the sound of two heads clashing together. He turned round, just as James started to run away. Jingoist smiled and stretched out his arm. The fox was suddenly stopped in his tracks by a powerful telekinetic force and was then lifted off the floor and floated towards Lord Jingoist. "You weren't thinking of running away, were you? I do so hope not, 'cos I was about to give you a second chance to live."

James tried desperately to struggle out of Jingoist's telekinetic hold, but wasn't able to. It was a futile struggle, but he knew that he had to get out of the lizard's grasp somehow. He reached for his sheathed knife around his waist as discreetly as possible, as he struggled to breathe, as Jingoist's telekinetic hold on him tightened. There was a flash of steel, and then the lizard's face started to bleed from where James had cut him. A wide red streak suddenly dribbled with blood from across his cheeks.  
"So, you really think that could have made me let go of you?" laughed Jingoist, as he wiped the blood away from his cheek. "I'll make you pay for that." He raised McCloud up into the air and then threw him down into the stone floor, knocking the wind out of the vulpine.

* * *

Jingoist turned to face Actoi and Morgue, who had been listening to him all that time.  
"And before I could kill that wretched fox, he plunged that knife one last time towards me," finished Jingoist. "Luckily, it did not go through my scaly skin, but it destroyed a disk that I was carrying at the time, a disk containing information that could have given me Clinical Immortality. Since we stole that disk from the Stomata, I had to get my scientists to start on the project from scratch, and they still haven't got close yet." He turned to look out of the porthole and towards the night sky of Titania. "I want you two to remember this; I am Lord of this Universe. All things shall die and crumble into dust, whereas I shall remain. I, like the Universe and the Darkness, am Eternal and shall live forever!"

As Fox looked through the files that Katt had downloaded off the _Darkstar_, he couldn't help but feel a little bit bored. The fox cubs back at home were bound to be missing him, just as he did his dad when he was younger. He just hoped that his cousins would be able to look after them properly while he and Fara were away. A horrible thought suddenly crossed his mind. What if he and Fara were killed? Who would then look after them? He abruptly shook that thought out of his mind, not concentrating on it. He would try his best to ensure that neither would perish at the hands of the Trade Guild. Fox finished looking at the schematics for the Darkwings and the Usurper Jets that the Trade Guild used, and moved on to the bios of the Hercules Team. The first name he saw was Kofu Tarragon. He suddenly realised why that voice had seemed so familiar to him, the one that belonged to the pilot who captured Slippy. Kofu had been one of his old friends from the Cornerian Flight Academy.

* * *

"That was a great trick, Fox!" exclaimed Kofu with a smile on his face, as he and his vulpine friend walked through the sunlight corridors of the CFA (Cornerian Flight Academy). "How'd you come up with that one? Do a barrel roll right next to a ship and you'll smack it right off course? Bet the pilot of that ship didn't see that coming!"

"Yeah, but it was pretty risky," said Fox seriously, as he and his friend walked down the corridor to the mess hall. "I could have taken off my entire wing, and that would have put a damper on my steering." They passed several other cadets, as they made their way to the mess hall, including a blue avian that Fox would meet later on in the year. "The shield gauge on my ship went down so much 'cos of that move, I was almost wetting myself!" The two pushed past the double swinging doors and entered the hall, where they were suddenly greeted by the sight of a long, long queue. "Whoa! We've got to get here earlier!"

"I know what you mean," sighed Kofu. "Let's just hope they're serving something decent this time. You remember that stuff they served us yesterday? Roast chicken, they called it. Well, looked more like Boiled Parrot to me."

"Mine looked like a bun," said Fox. "Tasted like a bun too." He looked towards where the queue was staring to move. "Wonder what they're dishing up this time? Spare ribs with no meat on them? Roast rat? Oh, wait! I know! They're serving up huge suspicious looking sausages with Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam and more Spam!"

"Fox, just shut up will you," exclaimed Kofu. "If you suddenly start singing the Spam Song, I swear, I'll kill you! You know how much I hate that!" Suddenly, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned round to see a short, green frog standing behind him. "Yeah? What do you want?" he asked in his most intimidating manner with the most intimidating look he could muster. The frog looked at Kofu without any visible fear on his features, and then at Fox, before he looked back at the lion.

"Are you Kofu Tarragon?" asked the frog in a croaking voice that sounded very podgy. The lion nodded in reply. "The name's Actoi Curare. I'm the new Counsellor and I'd like to have a word with you."

"A word with me?" asked Kofu with a frown.

"Yes," said Actoi with a strange smile on his face. "Why don't you book a time to see me, and we'll have a nice chat about your future in my office?"

* * *

An alarm suddenly blared loudly, waking Fox up from his daydream. He lifted his head off the keyboard, staring for a few moments at the bio on Kofu that was displayed on the screen, before he quickly got up and dashed out of the room. He ran down the corridor as quickly as he could, making his way to the bridge. The sirens blared loudly, nearly deafening his sensitive ears, but he had to move on. He hoped desperately that whatever the emergency was, they would be able to handle it with ease.

* * *

Star Fox and all related characters and places are copyrighted by Nintendo Ltd.   
Jingoist, Lucretia, Kofu, Miasma and Kappa are copyrighted by me.


	4. Chapter 4: Ankoku no Hohoemi

Twisted Shadows:  
A New Star Fox Saga 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

Author's Note: Here goes! It's another one of my What-happens-next-after-Andross-dies' fic. Once again, it's set in a different dimension from the other of my fanfics. And once again, it features characters from the Netherworld. The swearing has been censored, once again, with little asterisks that hides the second and third letters of the f**king swear word! Please send comments to me at w_donnell@hotmail.com.

* * * * *

Chapter 4: Ankoku no Hohoemi  
The object of Lord Jingoist's desire lies in the barren wastelands of Titania, a once fertile planet destroyed by its own people. The Shadows of Abomination of Titanian Legends lies hidden in the ancient city of Amenophis that disappeared long ago during the Great Disaster. All resources have been redirected successfully to the search for the Shadows of Abomination, a post-disaster nickname for the Titania Engine.

    Extract from Trade Guild Classified Report

    Trade Guild Usurper Jets flew around the Great Fox, circling it like flies to a horse's behind. Another smart bomb flew towards the great ship and hit it, exploding and rocking it violently. Five Arwings suddenly flew out from the hangar of the Great Fox, and divided, each taking on a Usurper Jet.  
    "Be careful, guys," said Fox over the com-links. "You remember what happened last time. Let's not have a repeat of that incident again."  
    "Don't worry about us," said Falco whose proud nature had not faltered since the victory over Andross. "You worry about your own hide, Fox. We'll be just fine." He pulled on the trigger, letting a stream of lasers hurtle towards the jets, memories of his first battle against the Usurper Jets flooding back into his mind. He performed a barrel roll, the lasers deflecting off the spinning body of Falco's Arwing, some of them hitting the grey, green and black Usurper Jets. The emblem of the Trade Guild was painted on to each one proudly, which Falco took great pleasure in defacing with his lasers. He fired a laser at the side of a Usurper Jet, the lasers scratching the paint off, before blasting through it. The ship burst into flames, sending metallic shards flying everywhere.  
    Suddenly, his ship shuddered violently and its lights flickered momentarily. He glanced at the radar screen and then at his shield gauge. He was being attacked from behind. He pulled back on his control stick hard, the nose of the Arwing pulling up, the entire ship somersaulting over the four pursuing Usurper Jets.  
"Take this, you Guild scum!" cried Falco, as he fired mercilessly at the jets, reducing them to nothing but a bad memory. He veered to his left, avoiding a set of lasers and then veered back to the right to face the oncoming ships. He pulled the trigger and a stream of green lasers shot out. The ships shuddered, and the formation of three Usurper Jets broke up, circling around Falco's Arwing like vultures.  
    Suddenly, all three Usurper Jets burst into flames, as green lasers hurtled through the air.  
"You'll be just fine, eh?" exclaimed Fox with a smirk on his face, as he blasted the last of the Usurper Jets around Falco. He flew over Falco's Arwing, firing at an oncoming formation of five Usurper Jets. He charged up a plasma bomb before letting it fly towards them. It hit the middle Usurper Jet, exploding and taking out the others in a spectacular green explosion. "Scratch five down! Slippy, Peppy, how are you guys doing over there?"  
    "We're fine," said Slippy, as he destroyed another Usurper Jet, reducing it to metallic shards. "I think I'm getting the hang of fighting these guys off." Four Usurper Jets suddenly flew up behind him and opened fire. Four more Usurper Jets flew towards Slippy, firing at him and as a result, sandwiching him between them. He pulled back on the control stick in the hope that he could fly over the ones in the front, but no such luck. The ships also pulled up, so that they ended up level to him. "I take that back!" exclaimed Slippy in a sudden panic. "Help me!"  
    "Not again!" sighed Falco. He found that he was the nearest to Slippy, and so flew towards him, firing at the Usurper Jets that surrounded his Arwing. They scattered like cowards, but a few turned round sharply so that they faced him and flew towards him, firing mercilessly at his Arwing. He fired his boosters to speed towards them and then pulled up to fly above them at the last minute, leaving the pilots behind. He U-turned and then dived down back towards the Usurper Jets and fired. The lasers hit each one, splitting them apart. "That's two down! Who's next?"  
    A few lasers hurtled past his Arwing, alerting him to the presence of a few Usurper Jets firing to him from his right. He looked to the right, only to see another Arwing fly past with five Usurper Jets on its tail. In its cockpit was Fara McCloud, with a strange smile on her face. She pulled back on her control stick, and the nose of the Arwing lifted up, it flew higher into the air, and circled, somersaulting over the Usurper Jets. The nose lowered down to point at them, and she pulled the trigger. A stream of green lasers hit each Usurper Jet, making a few of them shudder and fly off course, while a few others exploded in a burst of flames. She flew past them.  
"Nice one, Fara," said Fox's voice over her com-link.  
    "Thanks, Fox," she said with a smile on her muzzle. Her Arwing suddenly shuddered, alerting her to the presence of a few bogeys behind her. She pulled back on her control stick, letting the nose of the Arwing rise up. It flew higher, the Usurpers flying past underneath, as she somersaulted, so that her Arwing ended up behind the Usurper Jets. She aimed at them carefully, before opening fire on them. A flurry of lasers smashed into each one, ripping them apart in one fell swoop.  
    "Whoa!" exclaimed a gruff voice, one that could only have been Peppy's. "There's no end to these guys." He barrel-rolled, deflecting another wave of lasers with ease. Four more Usurper Jets were flying towards him. "This brings back old memories, eh, guys?" There was no reply. The others were too busy with their own agendas to reply. Suddenly, he spotted an all-too familiar Darkwing Jet flying towards him. It fired furiously at his Arwing, allowing him no time for relief. Peppy performed a barrel roll, deflecting as many of the lasers as possible. He fired back furiously at the Darkwing Jet, which did the veered, darting in between the lasers and returning fire.  
    "Peppy, I didn't know you had it in you," exclaimed Kappa Morton, the pilot of the Darkwing Jet. "I always thought you were a blabbering old coot." He charged up a vicious plasma bomb and sent it flying towards the hare's Arwing. "I apologise for what I thought of you. Here, take this plasma bomb as a gift of forgiveness!" The ball of energy hurtled towards Peppy mercilessly, as several Usurpers surrounded him, firing at him. He was unable to escape the path of the plasma bomb.  
    "You can't defeat us Star Fox members that easily!" cried Peppy, before he fired at the plasma bomb with every laser cannon. It detonated before it could even reach him, the explosion catching a few of the Usurper Jets, throwing them into other Usurper Jets. He then turned his fire on to Kappa's Darkwing Jet.  
    "Help me!" cried Slippy, as he found himself being pursued by Miasma O'Leary and four Usurper Jets. His ship shuddered as the lasers smashed into the Arwing. There seemed to be no escape for the green and slimy amphibian. He banked to the left and then to the right, trying his best to avoid the lasers but they were still there. "I can't shake them off my tail!" His ship shuddered as the left wing was torn off his Arwing. It banked to the left and curved back round. He watched with a smile on his face, as he flew past Miasma and the Usurper Jets. That smirk was quickly wiped off his face, when Miasma and the Usurper Jets did a U-turn and followed after him, firing at his jet. Slippy's eyes suddenly widened in fright, as he saw another five jets flying towards him.  
    "Slippy, when I tell you, pull up," said Falco sternly, as he flew towards him. They were on a collision course and were getting closer to each other every second. "Now!" cried Falco. Slippy pulled up quickly, flying over Falco, as he pushed his control stick down. He dived underneath Miasma, as the two groups of Usurper Jets flew towards each other. Her Darkwing Jet dived underneath the advancing group of Usurpers, missing them narrowly, before the two groups of Usurper Jets smashed into each other with a huge explosion that caught Miasma and tore off the right wing of her jet.  


    Dr. Kano looked quietly out of the porthole and towards the battle around the SS Great Fox. None of the Star Fox members had noticed the battleship floating quietly outside of the battle. He turned round and walked away from the porthole, walking over to a set of radar screens.  
"Release the Kimonos," ordered Kano, as he gazed into each screen carefully. A smile spread across his face. He was the Chief Engineer behind the Kimono Jets, special remote-controlled jets that had been programmed with special attack and defence manoeuvres. They were machines, never tiring and never questioning. They were his pride and joy. "Now to prove to Lord Jingoist that my Kimono Jets are worthy of the Guild's use."  


    "Bogey's coming in from starboard bow," stated Slippy. "They look different." Sure enough, groups of green and grey jets were hurtling straight towards them.  
    "Damn it!" cursed Kappa angrily. "Kano's launched his Kimono Jets. I thought Lord Jingoist ordered those to be dismantled."  
    "He did!" came the reply from Kofu. "Obviously Dr. Kano wants to get in trouble with Lord Jingoist. Well, I have nothing against that. Let's just get rid of Star Fox as per his Lordship's orders and get out of here." He banked to his left and suddenly fired at Fox's Arwing. "And that shouldn't be too hard, especially with their inferior jets." A smile formed on his muzzle, as he watched the Arwing pull up and fly above him. "You can't get the better of me, Foxie." He pulled back on his control stick too, just as Fox's Arwing ended up behind his. "What you can do, I can do better!"  
    Fox saw the Darkwing fly above him.  
"Where'd he go?" he exclaimed in surprise. His ship suddenly shuddered violently. When he saw his shield gauge dip, he suddenly realised what had happened. "He's behind me," growled the vulpine. He banked to his left quickly and then to his right, pulling back on his control stick to perform another somersault, all the time, receiving a volley of hits to the tail of his Arwing. "This ain't good!" He suddenly saw two of the grey, green Kimono jets heading straight for him. "They just don't quit," he sighed, as he opened fire on the two unmanned fighter jets.  
    Each one exploded, sending metallic shards flying away into the vacuum. Fox piloted his Arwing skilfully through the debris, not letting his jet hit any stray piece of metal.  
    "Whatever you do, Foxie, you can't best me," the fox heard Kofu's voice growl over his com-link.  
    "Don't bet on it, buddy," growled Fox, as he fired his retro-boosters and pushed his control stick forward, letting Kofu's Darkwing fly overhead. He pulled back up, firing at the black jet and watching it shudder as the lasers hit it. His Arwing suddenly shuddered and he was jolted forward. "Bogey's on my tail. Figures." He performed a barrel-roll, deflecting as many of the lasers as possible, while pulling off a somersault. He watched them past and then opened fire, tearing them apart with laserfire. Fox's eyes suddenly widened in disbelief, as he saw another Darkwing flying straight towards him. He opened fire, but it wouldn't stop.  
    Quickly, Fox pulled right on the control stick and the Arwing banked to the right suddenly. However, it was too late. The Darkwing had already fired a bomb straight for his ship and it looked as if it had homed in on the heat his jet was generating. There was a loud roar of an explosion before everything suddenly went black...

* * * * *

    Fox circled the gigantic brain trying to find the lobe once again. He had shot the eyes down a few minutes ago, and now...  
"Damn it!" he cursed loudly, as the brain teleported out of the way. "Andross, stay still, damn you!" ´I'm afraid I can't do that, McCloud` he thought, or rather, Andross did. "Get out of my mind!" shouted Fox angrily. He heard laughter in his mind, an insane and deep laughter that could only have come from the Emperor' himself. He checked his sensors. "Behind me," he thought. The vulpine pulled back on his control stick and U-turned.  
    Orange spheres floated away from Andross' brain and straight towards Fox. He pulled on the trigger, firing at the vesicles but they didn't seem to want to be destroyed. He dodged each one skilfully, as the brain floated towards him.  
"It's over, Andross!" cried Fox, as he pulled up and flew over the brain. He quickly U-turned and then fired at the exposed lobe. He heard the mad scientist cry out in agony within his very own mind.  
    There was a brilliant flash of light, as the flames burnt the brain. Then Fox heard Andross loud and clear, all around him.  
"If I'm to go down, I'm taking you with me," growled Andross. There was a brilliant explosion and suddenly everything went white, as Fox's Arwing was rocked violently.  
    The vulpine screamed in fear, as the flames apparently engulfed him.  
    "Don't give up," he heard a voice whisper to him suddenly. "Trust your instincts."  
    "Father?" exclaimed Fox in surprise. Was he dead? Was his father alive? He wasn't sure, but the answers to his questions were answered as the brilliant white light subsided. He saw that the entire place was on fire, as his Arwing flew straight towards the tunnel that would lead out of the bunker. And ahead of him was another Arwing. "Dad?" he exclaimed.  
    "Follow me, Fox," said the voice which sounded a lot like his father's.  
    Fox fired the Arwing's boosters and flew faster ahead of the advancing flames, but no matter how fast he flew, he couldn't overtake the phantom Arwing in front. Always firing his boosters whenever the phantom Arwing in front disappeared round the corner, he kept up with his father. The flames were closing in on him, licking the back of his Arwing and he could feel their heat, his tongue lolling in a futile attempt to keep cool.  
"Never give up," he heard his father's voice say to him. "Trust your instincts."  
    The phantom Arwing turned right and he followed after it. He could see the opening of the tunnel up ahead.  
"You've grown up to be so strong," said his father's voice. "I'm proud of you." The phantom Arwing disappeared, as they flew out of the bunker, Fox's Arwing rising high up into Venom's sky, the flames following after him.  
    Fox broke out of Venom Air Space and up into space, rejoining his crew. As they rejoiced and called out congratulations to him over the com-link, he looked to his side in search for that phantom Arwing. It was nowhere to be seen. He began to wonder, whether he had really seen his father's Arwing in front of him, guiding him the way out, or whether he had just hallucinated it all. He felt his head. It did seem a little sore, as if he had bumped it.  
    "Fox," said Peppy's voice loud and clear, breaking his train of thought. "You okay? What's the matter?"  
    "Nothing," replied Fox. "Nothing's wrong."

* * * * *

    Groaning, he clutched his head as he slowly opened his eyes. Placing one gloved hand on the metal slab he lay on, he slid himself up into as upright a position as he could manage. Fox looked around him, amazed to see that he was still alive.  
"Where am I?" he moaned, before looking around him. It was a dark and dingy cell that reminded him of something, of some place he had been.  
    Before he could figure out where and when, the door to his cell opened and someone marched in flanked by two guards wearing the military uniform of the Trade Guild. This person was wearing a white labcoat, black trousers, and immaculately polished black shoes. His tie was black as well and his shirt was blood red, as was the symbol on the breast pocket of his lab coat, a Chinese character- Wing, meaning, Forever- within a red circle. This scientist was a grey rat with a wild untamed mane of white fur.  
"I trust it that you have had a good sleep?" asked the rat, his voice having a nasal tone of voice to it, as if he were suffering from a blocked nose.  
    "No, I haven't," replied Fox. "Who are you and where am I?"  
    "My name is Dr. Jerome Kano," replied the rat with a sneer, "and you are on Battleship 42, one of the many battleships of the Trade Guild." He smiled smugly, as the two soldiers advanced towards him. "And you are our prisoner."

* * *

Star Fox and all related characters and places are copyrighted by Nintendo Ltd.   
Jingoist, Dr. Kano, Kofu, Miasma and Kappa are copyrighted by me.


	5. Chapter 5: Keep On

Twisted Shadows:  
A New Star Fox Saga 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

Author's Note: Here goes! It's another one of my What-happens-next-after-Andross-dies' fic. Once again, it's set in a different dimension from the other of my fanfics. The swearing has been censored, once again, with little asterisks that hides the second and third letters of the f**king swear word! Please send comments to me at w_donnell@hotmail.com.

* * * * *

Chapter 5: Keep On  
Ima, mirai wo kakete  
Futatsu no chikara ga butsukaru  
Mou, tamadou hima wa nai  
Nokosaretenain da ze.

    Beat Hit!

    With his last ounce of strength, O'Donnell dragged himself across the ground with his arms, having lost the use of his legs when he crashed on the surface of Venom. His entire body was covered in soot, dirt and blood. It had taken him ages to wrestle his body free from the twisted metal that was once his Wolfen Jet. He looked back and saw the wreckage in flames, much like the rest of the Venom Empire. That thought made him feel pathetic and useless.  
    Even with the cybernetic enhancements that had been given to him so that he could protect the Emperor, he had failed. The lupine felt more than defeated. He felt obsolete and tired. That was not all. Everything was slowly getting harder for him to do. He was getting weaker and weaker by the second, as he dragged himself across the dirty ground and towards the entrance that would lead him safely underground before the Cornerians decided to bomb the place, which he knew would happen.  
    All the time, as he crawled along the barren, dusty ground, he heard those words that echoed in his mind. Andross is our curse and he has brought our own destruction upon us. That was what the old man had said, before he had the old coot arrested for speaking against the Emperor. Now, he realised that the old man had been right all the time. If he hadn't met Andross, he would never have got into this mess. Never. He looked forward and saw black, shiny and clean shoes. He looked up.  
    Standing in front of him was a rat with grey fur, and a wild mane of untamed, white fur. This creature wore a labcoat, a blood red shirt and a black tie. On the breastpocket was the Chinese character, Wing, meaning Forever'. He looked down at O'Donnell with grey eyes that nearly glinted with madness. He just stood there, not saying a word or even moving.  
    "Kano! Help me!" croaked O'Donnell angrily. "Don't just stand there! I'm dying! Please, you've got to get me some medical treatment!"  
    A smile soon spread across the rat's muzzle, one that the wolf didn't like at all.  
"Now why should I do that," he asked O'Donnell as he brought out a gun from his labcoat pocket, "when there are so many other possibilities?"  
    Wolf's pupils widened with fear, as he saw the rat aiming the gun at him.  
"No! You can't!" cried the lupine, before the sound of a gunshot filled the air, echoing all around them. Wolf collapsed on to the ground, lifeless and thus ended the life of the last member of the once formidable Star Wolf Team.

* * * * *

    "You should have seen the look on his face, when he realised that he hadn't long left to live," laughed Kano, as he strapped Fox down to the operating table and tilted it so that it at an angle to the wall. He turned to face a two guards standing at the edge of the operating theatre and waved them over. They walked towards him, wheeling a metallic trolley with some kind of machine on it towards the scientist.  
    "You make me sick," snarled Fox, who was having his faith in furries tested. He thought there would be no more people like Andross and O'Donnell out there, but Dr. Kano had proved him wrong. "Your kind shouldn't exist. You're a heartless fiend!" He looked towards the trolley that was being pushed towards him. It had a machine that looked a lot like those ECG machines used in hospitals.  
    The grey rat turned his head to look at Fox with a frown on his face.  
"A heartless fiend?" exclaimed Kano in surprise. "Well, you could be right there." He reached over towards the metallic table and picked up a band of metal with wires going in and out of it, which were attached to the machine that rested on top of the trolley. "However, my kind should and does exist. My kind, is the kind of people that eliminate the sick and the weak from the Universe, as should be done." He placed the headset on Fox's head. "It is the natural order of things that the weak die young and that the strong survive."  
    "What do you think you're doing?" asked Fox with a tone of fear in his voice.  
    "I'll be reading your brain," replied Dr. Kano with a devious look in his eyes. "Your piloting skills will be translated from your brain and copied, placed into every one of my robotic Kimono jets." He smiled at the vulpine. "Think of it!" he shouted loudly. "An army of jets that will fly just like you, that think' just like you! An army of jets that can be replaced easily and built up quickly." He sighed, as he thought about it. "For every one the enemy destroys, I can churn out ten to replace it! And when I perfect my robotic ground troops, there will be no more need for living creatures to fight wars. I will be able to effectively clone an army of Fox McClouds."  
    Fox began to struggle even more, trying to break free.  
"Are you mad?" he cried, upon realising what this would entail. "You're taking away the horror of war! If war is no longer seen as a waste of life, more nations will resort to war to settle disputes. You'll be making peace and impossible dream! The only casualties in war, will then become the civilian who gets trapped in the line of fire."  
    Dr. Kano laughed.  
"I do not care for pitiful peace," laughed the rat. "What do I care for the average person? They can all rot in Hell for all I care! As long as my inventions are used, I am content!" He looked at the vulpine struggling within his bonds and smiled. "It's no use trying to break free, McCloud! You are helpless! Even Lord Jingoist is helpless!" He snorted with disgust. "How dare he summon me for execution. I will not submit to that fool anymore! I will rise up and overthrow him! The Universe and the Shadows of Abomination will be mine!" He laughed out loudly and insanely, as he flipped a switch on his machine. The lines on the screen began rising and falling like an ECG, as the machine began to read every thought and memory within the vulpine's brain. "What? What's going on?" he exclaimed, as the machine began making a strange noise. Sparks flew from it and it suddenly burst into flames, much to his surprise. "Guards!" he roared out loudly. "Take McCloud away and lock him up until I call for him again!"  
    "Looks like your machines are nothing more than pieces of second-hand junk," commented Fox, as the two soldiers rushed up to him and unstrapped him. One grabbed his arm and stabbed a needle into it, injecting some drug into the vulpine. Moments later, McCloud lost all consciousness.  


    "I don't believe we lost Fox like that!" cried Falco angrily, kicking at an empty can and sending it smashing into the wall to land in the rubbish bin. He looked of the porthole and towards the Sector X. The battleship from which those grey and green jets had come from, had retreated there. Due to damages they had received to their Arwings and the Great Fox, they couldn't even pursue the battleship. It made him angry just to think about it.  
    "There's no use in getting angry, Falco," stated Peppy calmly, as he sat on the couch with a newspaper in hand. "It's not going to get Fox back. If we wait..."  
    "Well, Peppy, we can't wait!" shouted Falco angrily, as he whirled round to glare the old hare. "We can't just sit idly by, while Fox is probably... I don't know! For all we know, he's being tortured and we're stuck in this old tin can of a ship!" He banged a fist against the wall of the room in frustration. "Well, I can't just sit here and wait. We have to get up and doing something! Anything, to save Fox!" He paused a while, as he paced up and down the ship and then stopped. "If Slip can't get the Great Fox up and running again, I'm going out there in my own Arwing and tracking Fox down!"  
    Peppy tossed the newspaper down on to the coffee table angrily.  
"Damn it, Falco!" he cried angrily. "Just calm down! Why can't you think rationally for one instant? If you go out there in one Arwing, you won't have enough fuel to get to Fox, let alone get back." Lately, Falco had been more hot-headed than usual, sparking off at the slightest thing. It was beginning to annoy even this old rabbit. "And what if you encounter enemy jets? How are you going to fight them all?"  
    Falco didn't reply. He knew that Peppy made sense, and that's what bothered him.  
    "Look, Falco, I know what you're thinking," sighed Peppy in a more calmer tone than before. "We're all worried about Fox, but there's really nothing we can do in good conscience to save him." He sighed, thinking hard for something to say. "This may sound, corny, Falco, but good things come to those who wait'. Slippy won't fail us. He looks up to Fox, and he would like to save Fox as much as you do. All we have to do is wait."  
    The avian sighed, as he leaned against the wall.  
"Yeah," he groaned, "I know. It's just that..."  
    There was a violent shudder, which made the falcon lose his balance and fall on to the floor before a loud roaring suddenly blasted its way through the entire ship.  
"What the Heck is going on?" cried Falco, as he got up. He looked out of the porthole and saw a sight that made him feel a bit better. They were moving again. "So, Slip's finally fixed the engines." He stood up, just as the door to the rec room opened up and Farawalked in, with Bill Grey. "Bill?"  
    "Falco! Peppy! It's good to see you guys again!" exclaimed the dog, as he walked up to them.  
    "Nice to see you too, Bill," replied Peppy, as he got up from the couch and walked over to greet the canine. "What brings you here?"  
    "Official business, I'm afraid," replied Bill sternly. "General Pepper sent me here, as soon as he had heard that the Guild captured Fox. He wanted me to help you save Fox's tail. Why don't you fill me on what's happened so far? I've got to know everything before I can help you guys out."  
    "Yeah, whatever," sighed Falco in his usual anti-social manner. "Just let's make it quick, okay? We don't have much time. Who knows what those Guild scum are doing to Fox right now?"  
    Without warning, Slippy suddenly rushed in with a panic-stricken look on his face.  
"Guys! ROB's just picked up some..." began Slippy, only to be interrupted by the wailing of sirens and the flashing of red lights. He looked up at the flickering red lights and knew that they were in range.  
    "What's going on?" asked Fara, shouting loudly over the wail of the sirens, as they rushed out of the rec room and down the corridor to the hangar.  
    "A whole fleet of enemy ships are heading straight for us," shouted Slippy in reply. "And I have reason to believe they're Guild Usurper Jets!"  


    Lord Jingoist was furious, as he stood at the porthole, looking out towards the desert. Not only had their search for the Titania Engine been completely unsuccessful, but his Hercules Team had also failed in destroying Star Fox. Though angry as he was, his emotions did not show, a reptilian trait that he found very useful. His two bodyguards, Actoi and Morgue, flanking him, he did not bother to turn round and look towards the failed members of the Hercules Team.  
"Captain Tarragon," hissed Jingoist with a displeased tone in his voice, "you say that Kano has not replied to my summons?"  
    "That's not entirely true, sir," replied the lion nervously, as he stood there firmly. Though he stood tall and proud, the nervous look on his face gave him away. "Dr. Kano has replied. He has declared war on us, sir."  
    The lizard chuckled quietly at what the leonine had said.  
"Is that so?" asked Jingoist, as he turned round to face the four members of the Hercules Team. "He certainly has guts, I can tell you that." An evil smile spread across his scaley face, as he walked closer towards the lion. "But not for long. I will send out my troops and capture him, and when I get my scaley hands on him, I will tear his insides out, which is, incidentally, what I will do to you lot if you fail me again. Go out there and kill the Star Fox Team."  
    "Yes, sir!" shouted all four in unison, saluting the evil lizard. They turned round 180° and marched straight out of the chamber, leaving Jingoist alone with his two bodyguards.  
    "Actoi, Morgue!" he rasped.  
    "Yes, sir?" they exclaimed in unison.  
    For a while, Jingoist did not reply, as he stood there, looking towards the door. He turned round and walked back to the porthole to stare out towards the horizon and the slowly rising sun.  
"Follow them," he replied calmly, as he crossed his arms behind his back. "Should they fail me, kill them all."

* * *

Star Fox and all related characters and places are copyrighted by Nintendo Ltd.   
Jingoist, Dr. Kano, Kofu, Miasma and Kappa are copyrighted by me.


	6. Chapter 6: Devil's Melee

Twisted Shadows:  
A New Star Fox Saga 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

Author's Note: Here goes! It's another one of my What-happens-next-after-Andross-dies' fic. Once again, it's set in a different dimension from the other of my fanfics. The swearing has been censored, once again, with little asterisks that hides the second and third letters of the f**king swear word! Please send comments to me at w_donnell@hotmail.com.

* * * * *

Chapter 6: Devil's Melee  
Hikari to kage ga aru kokoro ni mo sekai ni mo  
Sore wa kimi wo tameshite iru kesshite  
Owaru koto no nai tatakai

    Beat Hit!  
    Miyazaki Ayumi

    Falco flew his Arwing carefully towards the oncoming Usurper Jets.  
"Alright, let's take these guys out," he cried out in his usual manner. He closed the channel to his com-link, before he pulled his trigger. Lasers flew from his cannon and hit an advancing Usurper Jet. Seconds later, it burst into flames and exploded. His ship suddenly shuddered and he watched as the shield gauge dropped. That could only mean one thing. He looked around him wildly and then he saw it. There was another Usurper Jet behind him.  
    "Damn, these guys are persistent," exclaimed Falco out loud. He performed a somersault and then checked his sensors. "Still behind me. Am I getting slow?"  
    Five of them were now flying towards him in a V-formation, each of them firing at him furiously. Using all his flying skills, he piloted his Arwing in and out of the oncoming lasers. He performed a barrel-roll, deflecting as many of the lasers off of his Arwing jet as possible.  
    A green laser suddenly flew overhead and smashed into one of the Usurpers. The machine burst into flames and then exploded.  
    "Thought you needed a little bit of help," said Fara's voice over his com-link.  
    "A little help would be rather nice," said Falco in such a way that made it sound as if he didn't need any.  
    "More of them are coming in from the right," said Slippy's squeaky voice.  
    "Don't worry, we can take them out," stated Falco confidently.  
    "We sure will," agreed Peppy, as he turned his Arwing round and fired at the oncoming Usurper Jets, reducing them to scrap metal. "Nothing to it." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another three Usurper jets flying straight at him. He fired his boosters and flew ahead, avoiding their laserfire. He U-turned sharply, firing back at the enemy jets, destroying them all with one well-timed shot. "Bill, you okay?"  
    "Yeah, I'm fine," replied Bill. He pulled back on his control stick and somersaulted over his pursuer and then opened fire on its tail, shattering its engines. It burst into flames and careered out of control into another Usurper Jet. "These guys are no different from the Venomians we once fought."  


    Dr. Kano grumbled, as he tapped the soldering iron against the solder lightly, making the stuff melt into a fine little line on the green circuit board. It gave off a nasty smelling fume that he enjoyed very much. The smoke made him relax a bit and forget about his small trouble with McCloud. Suddenly, his ears picked up the sound of footsteps. He stopped his work, placing the soldering iron down and then turned round.  
"What is it?" he asked sternly.  
    "Sir, we now have twice the number of Kimonos we started off with," replied the soldier in front of him.  
    Kano remembered ordering this soldier to come to him, when that target had been met and to report it to him.  
"Good," sighed Dr. Kano, as he got up from his seat. "Then let us head to Titania."  
    "Sir, there's something else I have to report to you," began the soldier. "There's some sort of battle up ahead between Lord Jingoist's Usurper Jets and the Star Fox Team."  
    A frown appeared on Kano's furry face.  
"Between the Guild and Star Fox?" echoed the rat in surprise. "I would have thought that Lord Jingoist wanted me dead." He thought about the entire situation carefully, leaning against the opened-up head of the robot he was working on.  
    The soldier, a lizard, looked at the robot nervously. It looked so life-like, so much like a living being and so much like... that wolf that still inspired fear into the soldiers of the Trade Guild to this very day. It gave him the chills just looking at the thing lying on the table like that. He wasn't sure why, but that thing seemed to be... He didn't know what, but he was sure that building it was the biggest mistake Dr. Kano would ever make.  
    "Let's go and join in the fight," said Dr. Kano with a smile on his face. "My new Kimono II Jets will defeat both the Usurpers and Star Fox." Sure, the Kimono II Jets still did not have the skill of Fox McCloud programmed into them, but they had some of the moves that Fox had once performed, programmed into their circuits, all thanks to the black box that had survived the explosion. "They won't know what hit them."  


    An Usurper Jet was hot in pursuit, firing furiously at Slippy's Arwing, as he tried to evade it. The frog couldn't believe it. There were so many of these Usurper Jets swarming all around them. It was if he were facing against Andross' Invader Jets all over again. He couldn't help but feel incredibly helpless, like a rack of lamb in front of a hungry wolf's nose, as he dodged the lasers that shot towards him.  
    He jerked his control stick to the right, and the Arwing banked to the right, avoiding the shots of an oncoming Usurper Jet. Slippy watched, as the one that was behind him and the one in front scraped past each other, tearing off their wings and flying out of control into other Usurper Jets.  
"Ha! Take that!" cried Slippy triumphantly.  
    Falco found himself being tailed by two Usurper Jets, much to his disgust.  
"Geez! Bogey behind me!" exclaimed Falco. "Am I getting slow?" The lasers began to sear through the wings of his Arwing, almost blowing them off with their force. He pulled the control stick backwards, letting the nose of the Arwing rise. Falco somersaulted over the Usurpers, and then he aimed at them. He pulled the trigger; the lasers screamed towards the jets and hit them. "Cowards!" he exclaimed with joy, as he saw the Usurpers flee.  
    "Whoa! Kimono Jets! Incoming!" screamed Slippy, before a laser smashed into his Arwing, tearing off the left wing of his Arwing. His ship shuddered violently, as two Kimono jets flew behind him, firing at his tail. He pulled back on his control stick, somersaulting over them. He shot at one and then another, but was horrified to see them pulling off barrel-rolls, deflecting his shots. "Whoa! These new jets are pretty good!" he exclaimed.  
    The Kimono II Jets performed a somersault, ending up behind the amphibian pilot once more, firing at his jet.  
    "Hold on, Slip!" cried Bill. "I'll help you!" A Kimono II Jet flew straight at him, firing at his jet. He pulled off a barrel-roll, deflecting as many shots as possible, firing back at the Kimono. To his dismay, it veered out of the way and then back towards him, still firing at his jet. It shudded violently, as laser after laser hit his ship. "That's it! I'm fed up of you!" he exclaimed angrily. He charged up his lasers and locked on to the Kimono, firing a ball of green energy straight at it. "Ha! There's one down!" he cried triumphantly, as the Kimono was blown apart.  
    The two Kimono Jets were now in front of Slippy's Arwing. He breathed in deeply, bracing himself, before he pulled the trigger and let rip with a barrage of lasers. The two enemy jets shuddered violently, as the lasers pummelled into it. Suddenly, they both went up in flames.  
"Yes, I did it!" cried Slippy in joy. "Never mind about giving me that help, guys. I don't need it!"  
    "Good," replied Falco over the com-link, as he fired furiously at the Usurper Jets that darted out in front of him. "Cos we're all too busy to help you." ´So many jets just to kill us` he thought. ´Talk about overkill.` He barrel-rolled deflecting a laser from his ship and then fired back at the Usurper Jet. Much to his surprise, a Kimono Jet also fired at the Usurper, destroying it, before it turned its attention towards him. "Geez Laweez! We've got two enemies to fight here!" he exclaimed, as he suddenly realised the truth.  
    Peppy fired furiously at the Usurper in front of him. The lasers seared through the wings of the enemy aircraft like a hot knife through butter. They broke off, as the vehicle burst into flames. Bill fired another laser, towards the quantum reactor, the engine of the Interceptor. The thing burst into a ball of flames.  
"That's another one down!" exclaimed Peppy, as he banked to his right.  
    "Is that all you could manage?" joked Falco, as he dodged the lasers from two pursuing Kimono Jets. "Even Slippy could do better than that!" He pulled the control stick back, letting the Arwing somersault and letting the pursuing unmanned fighter jets pass by underneath. He dived down and fired at them mercilessly. The lasers hit them precisely in the rear. Each Kimono Jet veered off in different directions. "Damn it!" exclaimed Falco, as he saw four Usurpers group together behind him on the sensors. "These guys are nothing but cowards!" All the Usurpers opened fire on his Arwing. ´Looks like they're quite some distance away,` thought Falco, as he looked at the sensors. "Perhaps, if I U-turn, I can take them by surprise."  
    He pulled the control stick back, letting the Arwing do a back-flip. He rolled the Arwing so that it was upright compared to the pursuing and now oncoming Usurpers. He pulled the trigger and let rip with an intense volley of green lasers. Two of the fighter jets were destroyed, while the other two banked off to the left and towards Slippy's Arwing.  
"Slippy, behind you!" warned Falco.  
    The remaining Usurpers fired at Slippy's Arwing with cruetly, both targeting at the engines.  
"Whoa!" Falco heard Slippy exclaim. "I need some help over here!"  
    "Sure thing," came the reply from Fara. Falco was relieved; he didn't have to bother with Slippy. Fara's Arwing closed in on the two enemy fighters and she fired at them. Both of them burst into flames, before they were ripped apart by the force of their engines exploding.  
    "Thanks, Fara," sighed Slippy.  
    "That's okay, just make sure it doesn't happen again, okay?" said Fara, as she flew off to aid the others.  
    "Is that the enemy battleship that Fox was taken to?" asked Bill, as he looked to his left.  
    Falco looked to his right and saw the very same battleship that Bill was looking at.  
"Yep, that's the one," replied the avian.  
    "Looks like the Usurper Jets and Kimonos are too busy fighting each other," said Peppy, as he looked around him. It had been five minutes so far, and not a single jet had bothered attacking him. "I'll go back to the Great Fox and get it out of here. You go into the battleship."  
    "Don't worry, Peppy," said Fara's voice in a comforting tone. "We'll save Fox."  
    Peppy smiled.  
"I know you will," said the old hare in agreement. "Don't you worry about me, one bit. Go on and free Fox." He turned tail and headed straight for the Great Fox's hangar, as the others flew straight for the battleship.  
    "Hang on, Fox!" cried Falco. "We're coming for you!" He was determined to save his friend, and he would let nothing get in his way. Nothing.  
    "I'm waiting for you, Star Fox."

* * *

Star Fox and all related characters and places are copyrighted by Nintendo Ltd.   
Jingoist, Dr. Kano, Kofu, Miasma and Kappa are copyrighted by me.


	7. Chapter 7: Shadow of Doubt

Twisted Shadows:  
A New Star Fox Saga 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

Author's Note: Here goes! It's another one of my What-happens-next-after-Andross-dies' fic. Once again, it's set in a different dimension from the other of my fanfics. The swearing has been censored, once again, with little asterisks that hides the second and third letters of the f**king swear word! Please send comments to me at w_donnell@hotmail.com.

* * * * *

Chapter 7: Shadow of Doubt  
Sou boku wa ki zuitan da  
zutto shukudai wasureteta  
Sore wa hitotsu no nazo nazo nazo  
"Boku wa dare nan darou?"

The Biggest Dreamer  
Wada Koji

    "How can it be possible!" shouted Dr. Kano angrily, as he banged his fist on the desk, glaring angrily at the two soldiers that stood before him. "How could you let the Star Fox Team board our battleship?" Things were going awry and he wasn't liking it one bit. "I can't be defeated! Not so soon! Not before I at least overthrow Jingoist! I have so much to do! So much to see." He pulled his drawer out, picked up a gun and killed one of the soldiers. "Now get out of here and defend this ship!"  
    "Yes, sir!" shouted the remaining soldier, saluting the scientist nervously, before he ran towards the exit as quickly as possible.  


    "Watch out!" cried Fara, as she dived for Slippy, pushing him out of the way. The two of them crashed to the floor, the laser flying overhead harmlessly. She raised her gun and fired, hitting the soldier in the neck. He fell, as his four comrades stepped forward and aimed down at her. She fired her gun at them, as she scrambled to her feet and leapt round a corner and hid behind the wall for cover, taking Slippy with her.  
    "Thanks, Fara," said Slippy gratefully, between deep breaths for air.  
    The trampling of boots against metal, told Fara that the soldiers were advancing towards them. Taking Slippy's gun from him, she span round from the protection the wall gave her and out into the corridor, firing her guns wildly at the soldiers before they could return fire. Two of the soldiers were hit and fell, while the others fell to the ground merely to avoid the gunfire. One of the soldiers aimed his rifle up towards her and fired, spraying lasers through the corridor. One hit her in the arm, making her cry out in pain, as she dived back for cover.  
    Slippy was alarmed to see her arm bleeding.  
"You've been hit!" he squeaked in surprise.   
    "It's nothing," said Fara, wincing in pain.  
    "No, it isn't," argued Slippy, as he tore off a piece of cloth from his sleeve and tied it around her arm, tying it tight to stop as much of the bleeding as possible. "There you go." He took his gun back from Fara and stepped over her, crouching near the corner where the two corridors intersected in wait for the two soldiers. "Don't worry, I'll take care of them." He was determined to do this right, to get this right. "Time to prove myself," he muttered sternly, before rushing out from his hiding spot and firing at the soldiers.  
    Neither of them expected the frog to come out firing at them, and both were hit in the chest, felled in an instant.  


    The two soldiers marched up the corridor, rifles in hand, scanning the entire metallic corridor for any signs of intruders. That was their current assignment and they would not fail Dr. Kano, as much as they would like to be rid of the mad rat. They walked up the corridor silently, neither of them speaking to the other, knowing that silence was of the utmost importance when it came to this assignment. They were determined to find those intruders that had entered the ship if it...  
    A hand lashed out and grabbed one of the guards, dragging him away from the other. Within his hiding place in the doorway, Bill then smashed the soldier against the metallic door repeatedly, as Falco grabbed the other soldier and punched him in the face. Both let the Guild furries collapse to the ground.  
"This ship isn't designed well," commented Bill, as he emerged from the doorway, which could hide a whole person from any soldier in the same corridor. "Not that I'm complaining about it."  
    "Help me search these guys," snapped Falco angrily, as he delved into the pockets of the Guild soldier's uniform. He was hoping to find some key card or something of the sort, anything that would help them get through the battleship and find Fox. "Ah-ha! Found something!" he cried, as he pulled a card out of the sidepocket of the soldier that he had knocked unconscious. He looked at it carefully, seeing that it was like a credit card, and probably used as some kind of key to open locked doors. He stood up.  
    Bill plucked the rifle away from the soldier's grasp.  
"Falco, catch!" he said, before tossing one over to the avian, who caught it superbly. He bent down and picked up the other rifle, holding it in his paws and trying to get a feeling for the black and sleek weapon. "This is some nice work," he commented, as he marvelled at how natural it felt within his paws, even though it was probably alien technology. "We'd better get moving before some more of Jingoist's goons show up."  
    "Too late!" came a sly remark, before lasers flew through the air.  
    Falco ducked, narrowly missing one as he and Bill ran for cover. He dived round a doorway. The gunfire ceased. He peered round and saw that the corridor that end was completely blocked by a line of soldiers, male and female, furry and scaly. ´There's no way in Hell I can get out of this jam` he thought quietly. ´Go through this door.` He turned to look at the solid metal door and began to wonder what was beyond it. Pressing a wing against a button, the door slid open.  
"Bill, quick!" he cried, motioning for the dog to join him. "Through here!" He poked his gun out and began firing at the advancing soldiers, giving Bill some cover, as he ran towards the blue feathered avian.  
    The two of them dived through the doorway, pressing a button, closing the doors to the lift, as the soldiers ran up towards them.  
    "Alert the other levels!" shouted one of the commanding officers amongst the soldiers. "They must not escape!"  


    "There," she exclaimed with satisfaction. That new cloaking device worked wonders. "Can't tell the real Usurper from my ship." Katt was rather proud of this new feature to grace her ship, but she knew that it wouldn't last long and that she had to hurry. Turning round, she ran through the unguarded hangar and past the disused Usurper jets, straight towards the exit. She stopped in her tracks, her ears perking up. Katt could hear the sound of footsteps and the sound was getting louder and louder, much to her horror. She whirled round, looking for somewhere to hide but could find nothing.  
    The door opened and two soldiers walked in. Both were lizards, one female and one male. They looked around them cautiously, walking away from each other and looking around the deserted Usurper jets for any signs of anything living. Satisfied that they were alone, they walked back together and began whispering to each other quietly.  
    "Are you sure this is safe?" the male lizard asked the female one. "If Dr. Kano found out..."  
    "What are you? A lizard or a mouse?" asked the female soldier. "If Lord Jingoist saw this, you'd be demoted or worse. Besides, Kano is too busy with his androids to notice what we're going to do." She turned and looked towards the control panel that controlled the air lock. "If we disable the docking bay shield, our Guild comrades will be able to board the ship and help us capture Kano." She couldn't wait. There was supposedly a reward for that treacherous rat, and she would claim it for herself, with or without the help of this cowardly fool. "Now are you going to help me disable the shield or not?" she hissed.  
    That was when the male swayed forward uncontrollably and collapsed to the ground, revealing Katt, who stood behind him proudly.  
"He won't be to help anyone for quite a while, so I wouldn't count on it," remarked the feline.  
    "You!" screamed the female lizard before she lunged for the pink cat, throwing a fist at the feline face.  
    Katt ducked out of the way, whirling round and smashing a boot into her opponent's stomach, makling the lizard double over. She followed that with a well-timed uppercut to the scaly jaw and then a low kick that knocked the legs out from underneath her opponent. She however, was not prepared when the female lizard landed on her hands and did a back-flip, her feet smacking into Katt's jaw and sending her reeling back. As she recovered, the lizard rushed her and punched the feline in the face once and then twice, before whirling round, her thick tail sweeping Katt's legs out from underneath her. Katt crashed to the ground with a thud and saw foot fall towards her chest. She rolled out of the way just in time, sweeping her leg at her opponent's.  
    The female leapt over it.  
"Not again, kitty," hissed the female lizard, before she reached for her gun. A laser hit her in the hand, making her drop it to the floor.  
    "You have to be quicker, dearie," retorted Katt, before she got back to her feet, her gun aimed at the lizard. "Now you're going to tell me exactly where Fox McCloud is being kept, or you're not going to be able to claim that reward of yours."  
    For a while, nothing happened as the two women just stood there facing each other, one with a look of burning hatred on her scaly face. Then the lizard made her move, ducking quickly. Katt fired at the lizard, but she dived out of the way, grabbing her gun and then aiming it at the feline.  
    "Not bad," commented Katt, as she kept her finger near the trigger, ready to fire. She waited a while for some remark from her opponent, but none came. This woman, she thought, was intent on killing her as quickly as possible using any dirty technique she could use. Keeping an eye on the lizard, she looked for anything she could shelter behind to give her an advantage. ´Forget this` she thought, as she suddenly realised a better option. Her muscles tensed, she was ready to spring into action. "See ya!" she called out quickly, before leaping into a sprint for the door.  
    The lizard turned her gun and fired furiously at the feline, who darted left and right, avoiding the lasers skilfully. She ran after the pink furred feline, as the door slid open and her opponent disappeared through it. The door slid shut, as she skidded to a halt in front of it.  
    Katt turned round and shot the control panel. It exploded with sparks and smoke, before bursting into flames. She heard a cry of frustration from the other side of the door and then the sound of fists banging against metal. A smile on her face, she walked calmly away from the malfunctioning door.  


    Fara looked around her, as they sneaked quietly into the large chamber.  
"Looks like some sort of lab," she commented, as they looked around them. There were huge machines all over the place and blueprints sprawled over tables. There was also the stench of solder, which made her nose wrinkle back in disgust. She hated that foul smell, which had always made her a little woozy. She stalked through the laboratory, her gun at the ready, with Slippy following behind her.  
    "Stop right there," said a voice sternly. It was Dr. Kano and in his hand he had a gun, which was aimed right at Fara. "I do not know who you two are, but I'm sure that you aren't authorised to be in here, Star Fox."  
    "Who are you?" asked Fara.  
    "Dr. Kano," replied the rat sternly. "Now I suggest you surrender, unless you want a large gaping hole in your head." He stalked towards them, a predatory smile on his muzzle. "I have waited so long to do this and prove myself better than Andross. He was a fool, you know. Jingoist should never have made him Emperor of Venom. It should have been me that was Emperor!"  
    Slippy didn't like this rat one bit. He had the same quality that Andross had, that same quality that made chills run down his spine.  
"Yeah, whatever," said the amphibian as cooly as possible, but it came out as a nervous stutter. "I think you should surrender, you're outnumbered two to one."  
    "Oh, so the little froggy can count, eh?" chuckled Dr. Kano. "Don't be a fool. You won't have time to shoot me, before I kill your girlfriend."  
    Fara growled angrily.  
"I am not his girlfriend!" she cried, before aiming her gun at the scientist and firing.  
    Kano shot back, but wasn't quick enough. To his surprise, the laser Fara fired hit his gun, and it blew in his hand, making him toss it away from him in pain. He glared at the fennec fox and realised that he had failed to hit her.  
"You'll pay for this, you b**ch!" he swore angrily. He whirled round and ran for it.  
    "Stop right there!" cried Slippy more confidently, as he aimed his gun at the scientist.  
    "Fat chance of that!" laughed Kano, as he pressed a button in the wall, which slid open seconds later. He disappeared through the entrance, as the door started to slide shut.  
    Fara and Slippy quickly ran for it, not wanting to be trapped on the other side, when this scientist could be the key to finding out where Fox was. The fennec fox leapt through the entrance, pulling Slippy through, as the wall finally slid shut. Fara stopped, looking around her. This room was a dark, lit only by a light that shone on three large cylindrical metallic containers in front of her. Each container had a door with a circular window in it near the top, and Dr. Kano was standing at a panel in front of the three.  
"Dr. Kano, freeze!" commanded Fara.  
    The rat didn't even bother to turn round.  
"I will not," replied Kano sternly. "It's time to release my greatest weapons ever, and you can do nothing to stop me!" He pressed a button in front of him. The doors opened and three creature stepped out of each container. "Look at them! How life-like they look! Just like the original members of the Star Wolf Team!" He laughed out insanely, as they stepped down on to the floor in front of him.  
    Slippy's eyes were wide with horror. He thought that all members of the Star Wolf Team had died, except for Andrew. No! These weren't the real Star Wolf members. They were dead. These looked so much like them though, with the same Star Wolf uniform, but in place of the Star Wolf logo was Dr. Kano's red emblem.  
    "Do you like them?" asked the rat, as he turned round to face Fara and Slippy. "They're created from the bodies of the old Star Wolf Team and their bodies reinforced with steel. What remained of their brains, I modified, placing computer chips and circuitry in the place. They're my androids, cyborgs even, and they obey my every word." He smiled at them. "O'Donnell! Powalski! Dengar! Kill them!" he cried, pointing at the two.  
    The Pigma android turned to face Dr. Kano. There was a glint of something in his eyes, perhaps recognition. Perhaps within that now metallic skull of his, what remained of his brain could still remember what the rat had done to him.  
"We don't take orders from you," said Dengar sternly, before he reached out and grabbed the rat's head and he crushed Kano's head.  
    Fara and Slippy were too afraid to move and even more so, as they watched Dengar crush Kano's head and kill the scientist, like Kano once did to O'Donnell. The machines then turned round, glaring at Fara and Slippy with eyes that seemed to glow with hatred.  


    I'm waiting for you.  
    The guard fell to the ground, making his partner turn round. The last thing before he blacked out, was a fist. The other guard fell to the floor.  
    Falco knelt down and picked the keys up from the guard, looking towards Fox, who sat in the cell.  
"Fox, don't worry, we'll get you out," he said.  
    "Bill! Falco!" exclaimed Fox with surprise, as he got up and strode over towards the bars of energy that prevented him from escaping. "Am I glad to see you." He turned to face Falco. "It's about time you got here."  
    "Yeah, well we would have been here sooner, but we had to stop off for donuts," joked Falco, not noticing the angry expression on his friend's face. He used the keys and deactivated the forcefield. "There! Now let's get going!"  
    "Sure thing," agreed Fox. He only took one step though and he suddenly cried out in pain, collapsing to the ground and clutching his left knee. "Geez that smarts!" he cried in pain.  
    Bill rushed over to Fox, kneeling down beside him.  
"What happened?" he asked his best friend.  
    "I'm not sure," replied Fox, as he clutched his knee, wincing in pain. "I think I broke something."  
    This was making Falco more concerned and he rushed into the cell to join his friend.  
"Come on, Bill, we can't stay here any longer," said the avian sternly. "Let's get Fox back to the Great Fox as quickly as possible before any more guards show up." He then turned to face Fox. "Don't worry, we'll tend to that when we get back."  
    A smile spread across Fox's muzzle, but one that seemed so cold and chilling to the avian.  
"You guys are the," began Fox, "most stupid fools I've ever seen!" He spread his arms out quickly, smashing both Bill and Falco in the face with his fists. He leapt up to his feet, kicking them both in the groins before tearing their weapons away from them. Fox rushed out of the cell and quickly turned on the force field again, shutting them in his former cell. "I don't believe that you fell for that!" laughed Fox, a mad look in his eyes.  
    "What have you done with the real Fox?" cried Bill, clutching his nose with one hand.  
    "Nothing, you mutt!" snarled Fox angrily, as he took the keys out and pocketed them. "The real Fox stands here right before you," he said, spreading his arms out. "Now if you excuse me, I have to get going. There's a lot of things I must do." He turned round and was about to walk away, when he stopped in his tracks. "Oh, and Falco, there's something I forgot to give you." He whirled round and fired his rifle, hitting Falco in the leg and making him cry out in agony. Fox laughed evilly, before turning round and leaving the two in their cell with one of them bleeding all over the floor. "Goodbye and take care!"

* * *

Star Fox and all related characters and places are copyrighted by Nintendo Ltd.   
Jingoist, Dr. Kano, Kofu, Miasma and Kappa are copyrighted by me.


	8. Chapter 8: Mechanical Resonance

Twisted Shadows:  
A New Star Fox Saga 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

Author's Note: Here goes! It's another one of my What-happens-next-after-Andross-dies' fic. Once again, it's set in a different dimension from the other of my fanfics. The swearing has been censored, once again, with little asterisks that hides the second and third letters of the f**king swear word! Please send comments to me at w_donnell@hotmail.com.

* * * * *

Chapter 8: Mechanical Resonance  
Standing by your Side!  
Dochira ni tatsu ka  
Erabun da kimi no sono te de  
Stand up to the Fight!  
Futatsu no chikara  
Itsu no hi ka wakariaeru  
Toki ga kuru made.

Beat Hit!  
Miyazaki Ayumi

    "What happened to you?" cried Katt, as she came across the cell. She looked past the energy bars and at the two that sat within the cell. What caught her attention was the ring of bloody cloth that possibly covered a wound in the leg.  
    Bill sighed.  
"Fox put us in here," he said reluctantly. He couldn't understand it. The more he thought about it, the more he realised that that couldn't have been anyone else but the real Fox. "And then he shot Falco in the leg." He looked at the look on Katt's face. The canine could tell that she was having a hard time comprehending what had happened.  
    "No, surely..." began Katt.  
    "It was him, alright?" shouted Falco sternly. He could feel the tears well up, but none came, he held them back up. "Fox did this to me." He wasn't sure what had happened to make Fox like this, but he was sure that it had something to do with the Trade Guild. The avian was determined to fight to get Fox back, the Fox that he knew, the one that he had befriended. "Katt!" he said sternly, snapping her out of her silent train of thought. "Are you going to stand there or are you going to get us out?"  
    Katt aimed her gun at the control panel and shot it. The energy bars flickered before disappearing completely.  
"There," she said sternly and moodily. "Happy now, Falco?"  
    "I will be when I get my leg sorted out," he replied grumpily. He placed an arm around Bill, and with Katt by his side too, he managed to get up on to his good leg.  
    Bill brought out something that looked like a walkie-talkie, only smaller. He pressed a button.  
"Fara, Slippy, we've got to get out of here," he said. However, all he got in reply was static. He was worried. "Katt, do you think you can get Falco out of here by yourself?"  
    "I sure can, sugar," replied Katt.  
    "Falco, let go," Bill said and the avian did as was told. "I'm going to find the others. Get Falco to the Great Fox as quickly as possible and avoid Fox at all costs."  


    Kofu stood proudly in the hangar, as the Guild troops rushed through it. They had managed to defeat most of the Kimonos and invaded the battleship. Now all that was left was to kill Star Fox and arrest Dr. Kano. He turned to his team mates, a stern expression on his leonine face.  
"I want you to spread out," he growled loudly over the trampling of boots on metal. "If any of you see the desired targets, shoot first, ask questions later." He thought of Lord Jingoist and how they would all be punished if they failed this time. "Aim low, so you don't kill them, especially if they're McCloud or Kano." ´The pleasure of killing Fox should be mine and mine alone` he thought to himself, a smirk on his face. "Alright! Let's move out!"  


    The machine that looked so much like Wolf O'Donnell, and had once been Wolf O'Donnell, stalked through the secret laboratory, looking carefully for his opponents. As he scanned the place, using visual, he could remember Dr. Kano's voice clearly in his mind. Kill Star Fox. He would do as his creator asked him to do. There was no argument. Only obedience. ´Switching from visual to infra-red` he thought. A signal came from the Pigma droid. This was registered and a program kicked in, resulting in a cruel smile spreading across his face.  
    Pigma smashed the desk apart with one blow, revealing Fara and Slippy.  
    Fara aimed and fired. Though the laser hit the pig in the stomach, it did nothing much to harm the android. She backed off, avoiding the android's massive weight, as it crashed down on to the ground in an attempt to crush her. She aimed again at the pig, firing at its head this time. The laser merely tore off the skin to reveal the metal beneath it.  
"This is nuts!" she exclaimed, as the three androids turned to face her and Slippy, moving towards them menacingly. She was just thankful that none of the machines had any weapons to hand.  
    "We've got to get out of here!" cried Slippy out of fear.  
    "No," said Fara sternly, as the Leon android rushed her. "We've got to destroy them!" She fired repeatedly at the android, the lasers missing the machine as it dodged each one with impossible quickness. She saw it clench a fist and throw it at her. Ducking underneath the punch, she grabbed the nearest metallic thing at hand, which happened to be a wrench and swung it at the android opponent. There was a metallic clang, as she struck Leon, but nothing happened.  
    The android just looked at her and then down at where the wrench had hit, a dent in his body.  
"Fool!" cried the android in a voice that sounded so much like Leon's. "I am the Great Leon!" He grabbed the wrench and wrested it from her grasp, flinging it behind him. He lashed out at her with a scaly hand grabbing her by the throat and squeezing tight, gradually choking her.  
    "Let go of her!" cried Slippy, as he fired repeatedly at the green android.  
    A grey, furry hand grabbed the muzzle of the gun and snapped it off, as if it had been brittle balsa wood. The Wolf android glared at Slippy with eyes that looked so inhumanly life-like. Yes, that's right, this android had two eyes instead of the one, although he looked exactly like Wolf.  
"Leon, let's not waste our time with these deadweights," suggested the android. He grabbed Slippy by his collar and lifted him up into the air. "Let's just finish them off, be done with it and then go after the rest of them."  
    "Yeah, we might as well," agreed the Leon android, before he flung Fara at the wall, knocking her unconscious.  
    Slippy followed her seconds later, landing on top of her.  
    "Let's go," said Wolf, as the furred android led the machines out of the laboratory.  


    Andrew turned the corner and collided straight into someone.  
"Watch where you're going!" cried the baboon angrily, as he pushed the person aside and then lowered his gun to shoot the guy. He stopped. "McCloud!" he exclaimed, an angry look on his face.  
    Fox glared back at Andrew with a strange look in his eyes. His gaze seemed to bore straight into Andrew and there was a hint of madness within those glistening eyes.  
"So, you're still alive, huh?" he asked the baboon with a strange tone in his voice.  
    "Yeah, no thanks to you," growled Andrew angrily. "You're going to pay for what you did to my Uncle and to my friends!"  
    "Your friends?" laughed Fox, not even drawing his gun. He knew he wouldn't have to, if he played his cards right. "None of them liked you, Andrew. You were and still are a miserable, whining little child. A spoilt, pampered little brat!" A cruel smile spread across his face. "Do you want to kill me, Andrew? Do you? Go ahead!" He spread his arms out, exposing his chest to the baboon. "Take your best shot!" He waited. "Go on! What are you waiting for? Your mummy?"  
    The baboon didn't like Fox's tone one bit. He pulled the trigger, firing at the vulpine. He missed. A fist collided into his face, sending him flying against the wall, dropping the gun to the floor. He clenched his right fist and swung back at Fox, missing again. Andrew was punched in the face again and then again, before a fist smashed into his stomach, making him double over. The blows to his body suddenly stopped. He collapsed to his knees.  
    "I thought so," muttered Fox, as he stood tall and proud over the monkey. "You are no match for me, Oikonny." He grabbed him by the fur on the back of his head, yanking it upwards. The vulpine looked into Andrew's eyes. "Now, you listen to me, Andrew. I have decided to spare your miserable little life, but only if you aid me uncover the Shadows of Abomination."  
    Andrew's eyes widened at the mention of that name. He knew that Jingoist was searching for that this very minute.  
"Never," he spat angrily. "I'll never help you, murderer!" That was when Fox slammed his face against the metallic floor three times.  
    "I'm not going to ask you again," snarled Fox angrily, as he let go of the baboon fur. "Perhaps I should convince you another way." He grabbed Andrew by his bleeding nose, cutting off the air to the ape's lungs. Fox held on tight, not letting go, despite being clawed at in the face by his opponent. At last Andrew opened his mouth wide and inhaled sharply. The vulpine then shoved something forcefully down the baboon's throat.  


    Bill skidded round a corner.  
"Morton!" he exclaimed, upon recognising the black-furred bear. A snarl spread across his canine muzzle, as he watched the Hercules Team member advance towards him. He could still remember the time when he had fought this bear before, when the Trade Guild was called the Guild of Thieves and Mordenev was its King. "I haven't forgotten what you did to that family."  
    "And I haven't forgotten what you did to me," replied Kappa, as he slowly reached for his gun.  
    "Don't you try!" growled Bill, as he whipped his gun out, aiming it at his opponent. "Kappa Morton, you are under arrest for murder and theft." He kept his eye closely on the hand near the bear's gun, not noticing the chilling smile that spread across the ursine's muzzle. Slowly, he inched his way towards Morton, expecting him to attack him at any time. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you."  
    "You're going to pay for blasting my right arm off!" roared Kappa, as he raised his left arm up, the palm of his metallic cyborg hand aimed at Bill.  
    The canine's eyes widened in fear, as he saw electricity spark and build up between the fingers. He dived out of the way, as his opponent fired a beam of electricity straight at him. Bill crashed to the floor, and looked up as Kappa whirled round to aim his left hand at him.  
"It was an accident! Why can't you get that through your thick head?" cried Bill, as he opened fire on his ursine opponent.  
    Morton side-stepped out of the way, lashing out his sharp metallic claws at the canine.  
    Bill ducked his head, narrowly missing the cold steel that smashed into the metallic wall behind him. He rolled out away from Kappa, turning round firing. His laser caught the bear in the leg, making him roar out in pain.  
"Kappa, I don't want this to carry on," said the canine calmly, but the bear was too enraged to listen to anything but his own anger.  
    "I will kill you, Grey!" roared Morton, as he fired a bolt of lightning at Bill. A cruel smile spread across his face, as he watched it hit the canine and the electricity surge through his opponent. "Your flesh will burn. I will see to that!" He laughed evilly, enjoying every second of it. "They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but when I'm done, you'll be piping hot!" He thrust his hand forward, the electricity surging forward and Bill was thrown back by the force of the blow, skidding across the floor.  
    His arm twitched, before Bill remained motionless on the metallic floor.  
    "What's the matter, little doggy?" asked Kappa tauntingly, as he advanced towards the canine. "Can't move? Guess that's because you've got too much weight." His left hand flexed, as he raised his sharp metallic claws into the air. Each was sharp, sharp enough to cut through flesh. "I've got an idea." He chuckled. "You know how the saying goes- An arm for an arm." The bear pulled his arm back, ready to thrust his claws forward. "Time to say goodbye to your arm, Bill." He growled loudly, before thrusting his hand forward.  
    Bill raised his gun and fired, just as Kappa's hand struck down. For a while, the two remained motionless, before Bill's arm collapsed to the floor, the gun clattering to the floor. Moments later, Kappa followed suit, collapsing on top of the canine. Neither stirred, both remained as motionless as the dead.  


    Groaning, she opened her eyes gradually. A pain throbbed through her head, and she clutched at it with her left paw.  
"What happened?" she moaned, as she looked around her. There was a weight on top of her, she could feel it. She looked down and saw the unconscious form of Slippy lying on top of her. "Slip, wake up." She placed her other paw on his shoulder and began shaking him, trying her best to wake him up, but to no avail. He was out cold. "Good thing he's not that heavy," she sighed, as she pushed him off of her and slowly got up, looking around her.  
    The laboratory was a mess. The mechanised Star Wolf Team had practically trashed the place, destroying anything that wasn't the floor, ceiling or the walls. Chemicals were spilled all over the floor, wires were scattered all over the floor, bits of metal littered the place as did fires that burned pathetically. The stench of decay filled the air, as well as the stink of melted solder. Fara covered her nose at the stench of it, not enjoying the unpleasant smells that assaulted her nostrils.  
    As her brain started to function again, Fara began to wonder. ´Why didn't they finish us off?` was the biggest question she had to ask. The Fennec fox could have sworn hearing the Wolf android talking about obeying their prime directive- to kill Star Fox. Could it be that the androids didn't consider her and Slippy as members of the Star Fox Team? No, that was ridiculous. Dr. Kano said that they were cyborg replicas of the Star Wolf Team. She heard a moan, and turned round.  
"Slip?" she exclaimed, only to hear a head banging against a table.  
    "Ow! That smarts!" shouted Slippy.  
    A laser whistled past Fara's ear all of a sudden, nearly hitting her. She turned round and saw something she didn't want to see. Fara dived behind a pile of smouldernig wreckage for cover, as the lasers flew through the air, hitting the wall with a bright flash of light and a burst of hot white sparks.  
"Slippy!" she hissed through clenched teeth. "Slip! Where are you?" She couldn't believe that she had lost the amphibian. She only hoped that she had not lost him to the Guild.  
    "Come on out, Foxy!" taunted Miasma, as she stalked through the remains of Dr. Kano's laboratory, which had been destroyed during the fight against the androids. It had been this mouse that had fired at Fara. It had been thise mouse that had attempted to kill the Fennec Fox. "I know you're hiding here. I can smell your fear." There was a smug smirk on her muzzle, as she walked calmly through the laboratory, keeping her eyes and ears peeled for any signs of her opponent. "You know, don't you? You know, Foxy, that I'm going to beat you."  
    "Fine!" cried Fara as she rose up suddenly. Throwing one clenched fist at Miasma, she punched her opponent in the face, knocking the Hercules Team member out cold. Not able to think of a witty comment, she then turned her attention to find Slippy.  
    "Fara!" exclaimed Slippy, his voice a squeak of excitement. He had his hand on his head, as if he had banged it on something and was carrying a rolled up set of what looked, from where Fara was standing, like blueprints. "You've got to come and see what I've found!"  
    There was a huge explosion and the door was flung across the chamber from the force of the explosion, smashing into the metallic floor, as Trade Guild soldiers rushed into the laboratory.  
    Fara rushed over towards Slippy, grabbing him by the arm and ran for it, pulling him along with her.  
"No time for that!" she exclaimed, as she ran underneath the metallic stairs. She pressed her body against the wall, looking up at the feet that trampled on the metallic steps. Her breath was shallow and her eyes wide with fear. Of all the things that she didn't want to happen was for them to be spotted by the Guild troops. Under her breath, she prayed that the soldiers wouldn't find them hiding underneath the metallic staircase, although it was inevitable that they would. "How are we going to get out of this one?" she wondered.  


    "Out of my way, you bloody fools!" roared Fox angrily, opening fire on any jet that got in his way, irrespective of who piloted it. He watched with pleasure, as several burst into flames and exploded, killing whatever might have been contained within them. Glancing down at the sensors, he watched as a group of five enemy jets appeared behind him. "These fools don't know who they're dealing with," he muttered quietly. One by one, the blips suddenly disappeared from the sensors. "Thank you, Andrew."  
    "It was a pleasure," replied Andrew's whining voice over his com-link. "Where to from here?"  
    "The nearest Lylat Alliance outpost," replied Fox calmly, as he shot down a bunch of three Kimono jets easily. "I need to collect a few things," he said calmly, as he performed a barrel-roll, deflecting a couple of weak shots at his stolen Usurper Jet. He pulled back on his control stick and his jet performed a somersault perfectly, ending up behind his pursuers. "Of course, we must clear a way to the outpost," stated Fox calmly. "Fly by my side and let's mow these morons down with our gunfire."  
    "Affirmative," came the reply.  
    A smile spread across Fox's muzzle, as he opened fire, destroying more and more enemy jets in front of him. He watched as a ship in front of him was hit in the engine. He could hear the pilot's cry for help. The smile on the vulpine's muzzle became a cruel smirk, as he aimed at the ship.  
"If you can't win when it comes to fighting, you shouldn't be fighting at all!" he roared, as he fired a locked-on shot at a nearby ship, blowing it apart.  


    There was a collective clicking and before she knew it, they were completely surrounded on all sides by Guild soldiers, their guns aimed at her and Slippy. Fara could feel a lump form in her throat, as she looked at all the stern faces that glared at them. ´What happened?` she wondered. ´What happened to make us so lousy at our missions?` She would have never made a mistake like this during the Lylat War. Perhaps, perhaps it was the era of peace between then and the start of this struggle against the Trade Guild. Perhaps it was that era of peace that had made her and the rest of the Star Fox Team soft.  
    "Freeze!" shouted another voice from behind the soldiers.  
    A smile spread across Fara's muzzle. Her face lit up. It was now the Guild soldiers' turn to be completely surrounded. Lylatian soldiers had filled the laboratory, their weapons aimed at the Guild soldiers.  
    "Fara!"  
    "Bill?" exclaimed Fara in surprise, as she saw Bill on the balcony above them. "Did you find Fox?" was the very next thing she said. To her dismay, she saw a miserable expression replace the happy one on that canine face of his. All hope of ever seeing Fox again was washed away with one look of that solemn look on Bill's face, a look that suggested that Fox had died. "No," she muttered under breath. "Fox can't be dead, surely. He can't be!"

* * *

Star Fox and all related characters and places are copyrighted by Nintendo Ltd.   
Jingoist, Dr. Kano, Kofu, Miasma and Kappa are copyrighted by me.


	9. chapter 9: Tooi Yoake

Twisted Shadows:  
A New Star Fox Saga 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

Author's Note: Here goes! It's another one of my What-happens-next-after-Andross-dies' fic. Once again, it's set in a different dimension from the other of my fanfics. The swearing has been censored, once again, with little asterisks that hides the second and third letters of the f**king swear word! Please send comments to me at w_donnell@hotmail.com.

* * * * *

Chapter 9: Tooi Yoake  
SURAIDINGU shite surimuketa  
hiza itakutatte ne  
Sugu tachiagaranakya  
CHANSU wa nigete yuku wakatteru sa

The Biggest Dreamer  
Wada Koji

    One black Darkwing jet flew away from the battleship that had once belonged to the now deceased Dr. Kano. In it was its pilot, Kofu Tarragon, the Leader of a drastically reduced Hercules Team that consisted solely of himself. ´Lord Jingoist will have me killed now for sure` he thought miserably, as he flew away from the battleship. ´But I had to leave, if I didn't, I would have been captured by the Cornerians. Who knows what they would do to me, if they captured me?` He shivered at the thought of it, because he knew that in their eyes, he was a traitor.  
"What the Heck is going on here?" he exclaimed, as he saw two blips on the sensors.  
    "Captain Tarragon," croaked a very familiar-sounding voice over his com-link. "By order of Lord Jingoist, we have come to kill you."  
    "Actoi!" exclaimed Kofu in horror at the thought of it. He realised that Jingoist had sent his bodyguards after him. Now he was doomed for certain. "This can't be happening! I am Kofu Tarragon, the Leader of the Hercules Team!"   
    "Don't try and escape us, Tarragon," squawked a voice that sounded so much like Morgue's voice. "It is impossible for us to fail Lord Jingoist, so you might as well give up."  
    "Yeah," agreed Actoi. "Take your fate like a warrior."  
    Kofu knew he had to lose the two jets that pursued him now, but he knew not how. That didn't matter, as his jet suddenly shook violently. Direct hit! He banked his jet to the left, but to no avail. A laser tore through his left wing, ripping it apart.  
"I will never surrender, you hear me?" roared the lion. "Never!" He heard an explosion and the thing dived towards the nearest planet, nose first. "This can't be happening!" he cried, as his jet spiralled out of control. The last thing he saw was the sandy ground rushing up straight towards him.  


    Sparks flew from the damaged equipment as the raccoon crawled along the floor. He stopped, hearing footsteps outside. His heart was beating wildly, his breathing shallow, as if he had run for miles. Adrenaline surged through his body, as he listened for the footsteps. All that could be heard was the crackling and sparking of damaged equipment and the whirring of those machines that still worked. ´I have to to stop them` he thought, as he crawled along the floor and up to a machine. ´They can't get the data from our computers. I won't let them.`  
    They had destroyed everything, killed almost everyone. The station was no longer in use, but at least, the raccoon thought, he would be able to save the place from being taken by the Trade Guild. They would never take the information from the computers, he would see to that, even if he had to destroy the entire place. That was what he wanted to do. The distress signal had already been sent, but he was determined to destroy everything in order to save that precious data from the enemy. He was willing to sacrifice his life for Corneria.  
    Slowly peering over the machines, he looked out for them but saw no traces of any living creature, except for those other soldiers that had died. The raccoon, a lieutenant, looked at the machine. His eyes scanned the panel for that one button. Pupils widened, as he spied the red button underneath a glass casing. There it was! His target. He reached out for the button, to activate the self-destruct system and kill the intruders that had killed most of his friends.  
    A scaly hand suddenly grabbed his furry one. He turned round and saw the hideous scaly face that he recognised all too well.  
"Such a naughty 'coon," was all he heard, before everything went black and he never saw or thought again.  


    "There! That better?" asked Katt, as she finished up the bandages.  
    "A bit," replied Falco monotonously. His thoughts were on other things, however. "I don't believe he shot me." Emotions were riding high. He felt betrayed. "So this must have been what Peppy felt when Pigma betrayed him."  
    Katt felt concerned for her boyfriend. He was far more depressed than usual. She placed an arm around him and hugged him as tightly as was possible without hurting him.  
"Falco, you shouldn't brood over this," she said calmly. "You don't want to end up like Peppy, do you?"  
    "I just can't forget about it, Katt," snarled Falco angrily, throwing her arm off of him. "Fox was my best friend! Do you realise what it's like to have your friend deliberately shoot you in your leg and then leave you to bleed, laughing his head off? Do you even realise what it's like when your best friend can't even stand the sight of you?" And to think that he had been the most eager to save Fox. "If I knew what would have happened, I would have left that ungrateful fox to rot in there!" he spat in his blind rage.  
    The door to the med room slid open and Fara walked in.  
"Hey, Falco, how're you doing?" she asked him.  
    "A little bit better," he replied miserably, which didn't convince Fara very much. "Thanks for asking." He then remained silent, his thoughts returning to memories of the past. ´Kokoro ni nokoru Kasuka na kioku wa Togireta uta no you ni Kinou wo tsunagitomeru` he thought miserably¹.  
    The door to the sick bay slid open.  
"Fara, Katt, we're needed in the command centre," said Peppy, as he popped his head in. "General Pepper's got another mission for us."  
    "Again?" asked Fara in surprise. ´Why can't his army do anything right?` She watched as the old hare nodded. "Oh, all right. Katt, let's go." She walked away from Falco, and stopped, turning to look back at Katt. "Katt, you coming?"  
    "Sure," replied the pink-furred feline. Katt then looked nervously at Falco, worried that he would get more depressed without her near him. "Will you be alright?" she asked him.  
    "Go," said Falco sternly. "Go ahead, I'll be fine; I promise."  
    "If you say so," stuttered Katt with concern, as she slowly backed off reluctantly. She saw him look up and glare at her. Shivers ran down her spine when she saw the expression in his eyes. She could see the pain he was feeling, the mental anguish that must have been tearing at his soul. "I'll see you later then, sugar," she said before leaving reluctantly with Fara and Peppy.  
    Falco sighed miserably, spotting the wheelchair that had been prepared for him. Slowly and cautiously, he slided off of the table and sat himself down. Getting himself comfortable, he wheeled himself over towards the window and looked out.  
"Why, Fox?" he muttered. "Why'd you have to go and do this? We were the best of friends, Fox. The best of friends."

* * * * *

    Fox sat in the recreation room alone, his head resting on his hands, his elbows on his knees. He sighed miserably, a look on his face that seemed distant. That was the position that Falco found him in, when he entered the rec. room. A concerned look spread across the avian's blue-feathered face. ´Fox has been like this for weeks` he thought quietly, as he walked over to his friend.  
    "You feeling okay, Fox?" Falco asked the vulpine, as he sat down on the red couch right next to his best friend, placing a wing around the vulpine's shoulders. "Fox?" Falco said, after receiving silence for a reply. He clicked his fingers in front of Fox's face. "Hey, Fox! Fox!"  
    Finally, the vulpine snapped out of his deep thought. He turned his furry head and saw Falco next to him.  
"Huh? Oh, Falco, it's you," he said in an almost disappointed tone of voice. "Didn't hear you come in."  
    "No, guess you didn't," agreed the blue-feathered avian. "So, tell me what's wrong." He watched as a frown appeared on his friend's furry face. "Don't ask me how I knew, Fox. The look on your face is as plain as day. Everyone on board has noticed. You've been acting like this ever since you killed Andross. Silent, sulky, not replying to anything anyone says, not hearing what anyone says..." He paused. "So, you can tell me, right?" He looked at the fox's blue eyes, waiting for a reply. Falco could see the hesitance the vulpine was feeling in those windows to his soul. "Trust me, Fox, you'll feel much better when you've gotten this off your chest." Falco saw the strange look on the vulpine's face, and began to wonder what had gone on down in Andross' bunker on Venom, all those weeks ago.  
    "I thought I saw my father down there," admitted Fox, as he sat there fiddling his thumbs, not changing his seating posture one bit.  
    "Alive?" asked Falco with a frown. Now this surely was a big surprise for the avian. He thought Fox's father had been executed by Venomian forces.  
    "No, that's the problem," replied Fox. He paused a while. It looked as if he were thinking deeply, as if he didn't know how to explain it to the avian, or if he was embarrassed about the entire thing.  
    "Oh, Andross was messing with your head, huh?" suggested the avian.  
    "No, this was after Andross died," stated the vulpine worriedly. "My father, I think, guided me out of Andross' bunker. Thing is, after we flew out, he disappeared... as if he wasn't there." He shook his head. "It's stupid, really. I shouldn't be worrying over such a simple thing."  
    Falco wondered about what had gone in to make Fox see such a thing like that.  
"Fox, perhaps your father is alive," he stated quietly after much thought. "Your eyes wouldn't play on tricks on you, and Andross was dead."  
    "Maybe," stated Fox, before trailing off. "Maybe, Falco." He looked back down at the floor, the whiskers on his muzzle twitching nervously.  
    "Well, anyway, you shouldn't brood too much over it," exclaimed Falco, as he stood up, stretching his wings. "We've been worried sick about you ever since you started acting this way." He looked over towards the door, a smile spreading across his beak. "Say, why don't we have a one-on-one game of basketball to take your mind off things, huh? It'll do you some good."  
    Fox stood up. The strange look on his face had disappeared completely and he looked as happy as he usually did.  
"Okay," he agreed. "Why not? I need the exercise anyway." He walked with Falco over towards the door. "Come on, I'll trash you."  
    "Won't happen, pal," retorted Falco, as they left the rec. room. ´You are nothing. I will crush you.` "Yeah, real funny, Fox," Falco commented sarcastically. "You're a riot."  
    "What's funny?" asked the vulpine, as he turned to look at the avian with a puzzled look on his face.  
    For a moment, Falco said nothing else, wondering whether he had actually heard his friend say anything.  
"Never mind," he sighed. "Let's get going, before we're called away to another mission Pepper's army can't bother to do themselves."

* * * * *

    "What happened to make you so twisted?" wondered Falco out loud with a sigh. Another thought occurred to him. "Kano," he muttered under his breath. Silence, as he thought about the possibility thoroughly. "If only he didn't die. I'd love to know what that bastard did to you to make you so..." he trailed off, not wanting to think about what his friend had become. He suddenly heard the door slide open and he turned his head, seeing Katt walk over to him.  
    "Falco, we're needed at Sector X," said Katt solemnly, as she stopped by him. "Someone's attack the station there, probably the Trade Guild."  
    "I understand," sighed the avian. "Good luck, Katt."  
    "Thanks, Falco," she said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll be seeing you later, sugar," she purred sultrily, as she sauntered away from him.  
    The avian sighed, as he watched her disappear behind the closing door. Turned his head to look out of the window towards the inky blackness of space.  
"I'll find a way to bring you back, Fox," he said sternly. "I'll find a way, no matter what."  


    Peppy stepped over the fallen body of a Cornerian soldier, as he looked around him carefully. Attached to his rifle, was a torchlight, and the same was for the other's weapons as well, a necessary addition in the dark corridors of the lightless corridors.  
"Whoever it was, trashed this station pretty good," he said quietly, in case there was any enemy soldiers lying in wait for them. He ducked underneath a dangling wire, still crackling with electricity and carried on walking down the corridor with his other team mates.  
    "Worse than a party at my place," joked Bill, but the atmosphere around them seemed to drain all the humour out of it. He shivered nervously, as he thought he heard something whisper to him. Whirling round he looked behind him, shining a torch back down the darkened corridor. Another whisper and he whirled round, looking around him, shining the torch at everything. "This place is starting to creep me out," he stated, shivering from the cold and from fear. "This looks very much like the work of the Trade Guild."  
    "This is horrible," stated Slippy, as he looked at the dead soldiers. "I haven't seen anything like it since Andross' bio-weapon got loose from that military base on Macbeth." He shivered at the thought of that bio-weapon, which looked to him like something from the very bowels of Hell. "I wonder what did this?" He looked at the broken lights, and the walls that had huge holes practically punched into them.  
    They soon walked out of the narrow corridor and into a large hall with four exits. Like the rest of the station, this hall was completely damaged, with dangling wires and ruined walls, with debris scattered all over the floor along with dead bodies. It was a horrible sight to behold and none more so than what they saw in front of them.  
    Fara's eyes narrowed with hatred and anger, as she saw three figures in front of her. She recognised them all too well, her hands clenching tightly on the rifle.  
"There's your answer," she growled angrily.  
    The three figures in front of them turned round to face them.  
"Ah, Star Fox!" exclaimed the middle one, that looked so much like Wolf O'Donnell. A cruel smile spread across the Wolf android's muzzle, as each one of the android replicas reached for their improved laser guns. "It's such a pleasure to see you again."

¹ The Romaji phrase means- The few memories Lingering in my heart Like fragments of a song Hang onto yesterday. (Extract from Tooi Yoake, sung by Takehito Koyasu for Gundam Wing).

* * *

Star Fox and all related characters and places are copyrighted by Nintendo Ltd.   
Jingoist, Dr. Kano, Kofu, Miasma and Kappa are copyrighted by me.


	10. Chapter 10: My Tomorrow

Twisted Shadows:  
A New Star Fox Saga 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

Author's Note: Here goes! It's another one of my What-happens-next-after-Andross-dies' fic. Once again, it's set in a different dimension from the other of my fanfics. The swearing has been censored, once again, with little asterisks that hides the second and third letters of the f**king swear word! Please send comments to me at w_donnell@hotmail.com.

* * * * *

Chapter 10: My Tomorrow  
Dare ni mo wakaranai  
Mirai wo sagashite 'ru. Omae wa dare?  
Sora wo somete yuku aoi honoo  
Tooi yoake

Tooi Yoake  
Takehito Koyasu

    "Ah, Star Fox!" exclaimed the middle one, that looked so much like Wolf O'Donnell. A cruel smile spread across the Wolf android's muzzle, as each one of the android replicas reached for their improved laser guns. "It's such a pleasure to see you again." He raised his gun and the other androids followed suit, before they opened fire.  
    The members of the Star Fox Team dived out of the way, taking cover behind a fallen sheet of metal, as the lasers flew through the air smashing into it.  
    "Slippy, you and Katt go ahead and see if they are any survivors," ordered Fara, as she peered over the metal and then ducked back down again when a laser flew at her. It smashed into the chunk of metal causing sparks to fly. "We'll take care of the androids." She rose up and fired furiously at her opponents. "Go! Get going, we'll cover you!" she cried.  
    "Affirmative," agreed Slippy, as he scrambled to his feet and ran for his life towards the nearest exit. He saw Katt running by his side. The two of them ran through a corridor, ducking underneath a huge sheet of metal that dangled from the ceiling. He heard the roar of gunfire behind him, stopping to look back down the ruined corridor and saw lasers flash past the entrance. "Good luck, guys," he whispered, before he forcefully tore his gaze away from the melee behind him and ran after Katt down the winding corridors of the space base.  


    Fara ran for it, lasers smashing into the floor and wall behind her. The entire floor and wall behind her seemed to explode after her, as she ran for cover, firing at her opponent as best as she could. She leapt through the air and landed behind a huge girder that had smashed into the floor. Her breathing was shallow. She just hoped that the others were doing okay. Giving her laser gun time to recharge, she waited, hearing footsteps. There was a beeping, telling her that everything was done and she rose up from her hiding place, firing furiously at her opponent.  
    The Wolf look-alike leapt high into the air with superhuman strength, avoiding the lasers and landing on the floor behind the Fennec fox.  
"Phoenix, you shouldn't have come," growled the android, as he placed the gun against her head. The cyborg chuckled. "Do you think that I have forgotten you? Though Kano smashed my head in before Andross' defeat, I can still remember my past and more importantly, what you Star Fox fools did to me and my team mates."  
    "For your information, Wolf, I'm Fara McCloud now," she stated, but that only brought back bad memories. As much as she wanted to, she knew that none of her self-defence moves could help her now. Fara's eyes darted about her, trying to find anything that she could use. Spying a piece of metal piping that had obviously been blasted loose during the battle, she grabbed it quickly and smashed the android's hand away from her. She leapt back, as Wolf re-aimed the gun and fired at her. Ducking under the laser she charged towards the android and swung the pipe down on the gun, smashing it, before firing at him.  
    The cyborg side-stepped out of the way quickly and lunged straight towards her, grabbing her by the neck.  
"You wretched b**ch," he growled angrily. "I will kill you!" He held on tightly, gradually choking his vulpine opponent.  
    "No, you won't," protested Fara, as she lifted her gun and pressed its muzzle against the cyborg's head. Pulling the trigger, she fired into him at blank point range.  
    The Wolf cyborg roared out in pain, and backed off, a gaping hole in his head showing the circuitry underneath. Fara had hit the cyborg part of the brain, and missed the biological part completely. Stumbling backwards, the cyborg crashed into a pile of rubbish, all of his limbs spasming, before he remained motionless in the debris.  
    "Told you," she said smugly.  
    "I need some back-up here!" shouted Peppy from down one of the corridors.  
    "I'm coming, Peppy!" she cried, as she ran down the corridor towards the cries. However, she tripped and fell on to the metallic floor, losing her grip on her gun, which slid away from her. Turning her head back, she saw a furry hand gripping her leg and it was attached to the cyborg body of the Wolf android.  


    "Do you truly understand what is going on around you?" asked the Leon android with a sneer. "I thought not. You will never amount to anything in this Universe." In his left hand, he held an extremely sharp knife and in his other, a gun. "Remember the old times, when I tortured you, Bill?" The chameleon android broke out into a toothy smile. "Let's do this for old time's sake." He lunged towards the canine, the knife bared.  
    Bill raised his gun and fired repeatedly at the android, each laser striking the machine in the chest, each laser not having an effect on it. He ducked underneath the knife blade and punched Leon in the chin, only to bruise his hand against the metallic head. The canine backed off, clutching at his hand, wondering how he was going to destroy this monstrosity. He raised his gun and fired at the head, the laser destroying one of Leon's eyes.  
    The android screamed in pain, clutching at its broken eye.  
"You'll pay for that, Grey!" roared Leon, firing furiously at his opponent.  
    None of the lasers actually hit Bill, as he ran out of the way quickly, circling his android opponent and firing at the chameleon machine. None of his shots seemed to do anything, quite a few of them missing the android.  
"Leon, I'm going to ensure you stay dead this time," stated Bill. "You're not going to terrorise anymore innocent Lylatians." He aimed and fired at his opponent, who dove out of the way.  


    "I'll do you fast, Peppy, old pal," chuckled the pig android, as he lunged towards his opponent. Using his massive weight he smashed into the old hare, sending him crashing to the metallic floor. He raised one fist and brought it crashing down towards Peppy.  
    Peppy rolled out of the way, scrambling to his feet and running towards his gun. Something grabbed him by the ears and he was pulled back, a fist smashing into his face repeatedly. The old hare tried everything to counteract Pigma's blows, but he was getting pummeled and he knew it wouldn't be long before the android killed him.  
    "You always were the weaker one, Peppy," laughed Pigma, as he restricted the old hare's airways with his bare hands.  


    Slippy and Katt emerged into another room that was full of computers and machines. What caught their attention, was the machine at the far end of the room, which was still powered.  
"Fox?" exclaimed Slippy, upon seeing the familiar outline of his leader. "Fox, is that you?"  
    The person turned round and it was indeed Fox, but he had dark rings around his eyes from what appeared to be lack of sleep and an angry snarl on his face. His fur was a mess, and he didn't look anything like the Fox they used to know.  
"You," was all that the vulpine could say, before he turned round to look towards Oikonny. "I must say," stated Fox calmly, without even turning back to look at Katt and Slippy, as if they were insignificant, "it is a great surprise to see you two here, after what I let the androids do."  
    "I don't understand," said Katt. "Are you saying you let them in?"  
    "That would be the main jist of what I'm talking about," replied Fox, as he pressed a button and a round disc emerged from its slot. "Though Kano was a nuisance, his creations are doing far more good for my plans than harm." He turned round, the disc in his hand."See? I already have what I came for. It won't be long before this entire system and the galaxy it resides in are all mine!" There was an evil grin on his face, as he glared at them, with a hint of madness in his green eyes. "And when I do take this galaxy, the Trade Guild will be my Empire and you will be my slaves." He lashed his left hand back and pressed a few buttons.  
    "Self destruct sytem activated," announced a feminine voice, as the lights started flashing red and sirens shattered the silence. "Self destruct in T minus 5 minutes."  
    "I'd love to stay and watch you die, but I'm afraid I just don't have the time," sneered Fox, as he grabbed Oikonny by the wrist and disappeared through an emergency exit.  
    "I'll go after Fox, you deal with the self destruct," ordered Katt, as she prepped her gun and ran after the vulpine and the baboon. "Good luck, Slip!" she exclaimed, disappearing through the doorway.  
    Slippy ran up to the control panel and began typing furiously away on the keyboard in a feverishly paced attempt to stop the self-destruct sequence. It was no use. He looked up at the screen and saw the numbers flashing past. They were running out of time. ´How can I disable this?` wondered the amphibian, as he stood there at the control panel. Time was running out too quickly, and he had no idea how to stop the base from blowing up.  


    Pigma let go of Peppy, dropping the hare to the floor, as he looked around him.  
"This place is going to blow," he whispered under his breath. The cyborg looked down at Peppy with an evil smile on his face. "So long, Peppy! This is where we part ways. I shall live forever but you won't last long." He laughed, as he turned and walked away from his fallen opponent.  
    "No, it won't end like this," muttered Peppy, as he tried his best to get back up to his feet. "I won't let it end like this!" He reached for his gun, grasping it firmly in his hand. "Dengar! I'm not letting you get away again!" He aimed and fired straight into the cyborg's back, elicitating a squeal of pain. Seeing the cyborg turn round to glare at him, he smiled. "This time we're going to finish it, Pigma. We're going to finish it right here and right now!" He pulled the trigger back repeatedly, firing again and again at the cyborg.  
    The lasers flew through the air, each one pummeling straight into the robot, tearing off the skin to reveal the hard metal underneath. The cyborg roared in anger and rushed straight towards Peppy and lashed at the old hare with his right fist.  


    The Wolf android looked all around him, as the red lights flashed on and off.  
"I thought there was no power left to this place," he muttered, as he stood there, moving only his head and his pointy ears. "How strange." He turned his back to Fara, before walking away slowly with a limp. "Goodbye, Ms. Phoenix. I'd love to stay, but as you can see, this place is about to blow. I suggest you leave while you still can." He paused and turned sideways. The cyborg knelt and lifted a huge sheet of metal to reveal a female soldier trapped underneath.  
    Fara watched in horror, as the two just stared at each other. Fearing that he would kill her, she aimed her gun at his head, hoping to destroy the other part of his brain.  
"Stay away from her!" she cried, but the android didn't listen, just threw the sheet of metal away effortlessly as if it had been a frisbee. She ducked underneath it and saw the cyborg help the soldier up to her feet, before bowing politely to her and then leave. A frown spread across her face, and one appeared on the face of the soldier that had been rescued by the cyborg. "What the Heck just happened?" she wondered out loud.  


    "Fox!" Katt called out to him, as she emerged from the corridor and into a hangar where an escape pod awaited Fox and Andrew. "Stop!"  
    The vulpine did as was told, and looked back at her slowly.  
"Foolish feline!" laughed Fox, as he raised his gun and fired at her. He was not surprised to see her leap out of the way. "Only I have the brains to rule Lylat!" He fired his gun furiously at the pink feline, not wanting her to follow him. "What are you waiting for, Oikonny? Get in!" He shoved the baboon in, before slowly following him in, all the time shooting at Katt.  
    "Stop it, Fox!" she cried out, as she leapt out of the way of another laser. "Don't you even remember who I am?"  
    "Yes, I do," snarled McCloud. "You're that wretched thief!" He raised his gun and fired upwards repeatedly, shooting something loose. "Now die with the rest of the Star Fox Team, while I make my dreams a reality!"  
    A huge piece of metal came falling down towards Katt. She dived out of the way, only to get her tail caught underneath the girder. She screamed out in pain, as it crushed her furry tail. Before she blanked out, she could swear she heard Andross' laughing from beyond the grave, as she lost all consciousness from the pain.  


    Bill rushed through the corridor with Slippy and they skidded to a halt.  
"Katt!" he exclaimed in horror, seeing her slumped on the floor, all alone. "Hurry, Slip! Help me with the girder!" He rushed over towards it and began pushing against it with all his might. Slippy rushed over and helped, pushing just as hard as the canine. Luckily for the both of them it was not a huge piece of metal, and they shoved it off of her by themselves. Lifting Katt up between them, they ran for their lives.  


    Falco looked out of the porthole of the ship and towards the base.  
"What is going on in there?" he muttered out loud, as he looked towards the space station. His eyes widened, as he suddenly saw a bright flash of light, an explosion and then... "No!" he cried in disbelief. "No!"

* * *

Star Fox and all related characters and places are copyrighted by Nintendo Ltd.   
Jingoist, Dr. Kano, Kofu, Miasma and Kappa are copyrighted by me.


	11. Chapter 11: Beginning of the End Game

Twisted Shadows:  
A New Star Fox Saga 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

Author's Note: Here goes! It's another one of my What-happens-next-after-Andross-dies' fic. Once again, it's set in a different dimension from the other of my fanfics. The swearing has been censored, once again, with little asterisks that hides the second and third letters of the f**king swear word! Please send comments to me at w_donnell@hotmail.com.

* * * * *

Chapter 11: Beginning of the Endgame  
tachiagare! senshi wa boku no naka ni iru  
semari kuru TAAGETTO nigeru wake ni wa ikanai  
moeagare! toushi wa mune o kogashiteru  
edawakare shita michi mayotte irarenainda  
atsui hibana chirase

Target ~akai shougeki~  
Wada Koji

    "So, even Star Fox is unable to destroy the new Star Wolf Team," sighed General Pepper as he sat at his desk, looking at the reports and papers scattered across it in an untidy fashion. ´How I despise the delay in news` he thought, as he looked at the glass in his hand and at the whisky that didn't quite fill it to the top. ´It has been a week since Star Fox's botched rescue attempt at the Sector X Outpost, and only now do I receive the reports.` Another sigh escaped his muzzle. "The President has resigned in disgrace, martial law is now in effect..." He trailed off, not wanting to think about it anymore. Slamming the glass down on the desk, he stood up, and nearly fell back down again due to the vast quantity of alcohol he had drunk. Steadying himself on the arm of his chair, he tried to regain his balance. "No more," he muttered under his breath. "I will stand for this no more." Unsteadily, he walked over to his door, flinging it open and staggering out to the surprise of the soldiers that stood guard outside it.  
    "Sir!" exclaimed one in surprise, saluting the General. The other followed suit.  
    Pepper glared at them half-drunkenly and half-angrily.  
"Cut that out!" he snarled. "Escort me to Operations this instant!"  


    Fara looked at the orders that they had received from General Pepper. She turned round to look at Bill and Katt, at Falco and the other members of the Star Fox Team. She sighed miserably. It had taken a miracle, but they had survived the entire ordeal on the space station, rescuing all those that could be rescued, which was only the one soldier that Wolf had freed from the sheet of metal.  
"Guys, we've just received our orders," she sighed. "We're to join the main Cornerian Army in an invasion of Titania."  
    "An invasion?" exclaimed Falco from his wheelchair. "Has Pepper gone nuts? We can't possibly take on the Trade Guild Army in our current state!" He thought bitterly back to the news he had heard over the week of the Star Wolf Team's reign of terror against the Alliance's military. "Has he completely forgotten that Star Wolf has practically decimated the Lylat Alliance's Army, or is he drunk again?"  
    "We mustn't question his orders, Falco," snapped Peppy, though he knew that the General's orders were anything but questionable.  
    "That's a load of bull, and you know it, Peppy!" shouted Falco angrily. "Pepper is sending us out to the slaughter. The Guild could wipe us all out in an instant. I'm just thankful that Jingoist's troops are too busy searching for the Shadows to do that."  
    Katt rose from her seat, walking over to Falco, kneeling beside him and placing a hand on his.  
"Please, Falco, calm down," she purred. "This is nothing to get so upset over." She looked sideways and away from him, as she said, "I'm sure the General knows what he's doing."  
    "Don't you say that, Katt," he said angrily. "You know as well as I do that he doesn't know what he's doing." He threw her hand off of his. "I'll be in my quarters if you need me." He wheeled his way out of the Bridge with a sigh.   
    Slippy looked up from the blueprints, just in time to see Falco disappear.  
"Katt, could you please get Falco back here?" he asked her politely. He turned to look towards Fara and Peppy. "He's right you know. These blueprints I took from Kano's office are of a special force field that can be manufactured easily on Titania. If copies of these got to Jingoist, then I..." He trailed off, shivering at the thought. "I've got to get these blueprints delivered to the scientists at Macbeth and I've got pick something up from there. It could help us against the Guild fighter jets."  
    Peppy was about to protest against Slippy, when Fara stopped him.  
    "Okay, Slip', if you say so," she said quietly. "I'll send word to General Pepper ASAP."  


    Ending his communication to High Command, the pilot looked ahead at the orange and yellow ball in front of him. ´Titania` he thought grimly. ´Who wants that hell-hole anyway?` He just couldn't understand why the Trade Guild wanted it so badly. It was nothing, the Venomians having drained the planet dry of its resources during the Lylat War.  
"All right, men," he stated, communicating to the other pilots through his com-link, "on my signal we..." He trailed off, upon seeing something shining glisten from above the Planet's surface. "What the...?" he exclaimed in surprise. "They've spotted us, already? I don't believe it!" He paused, swerving his ship right to avoid a laser. "You know what to do, guys. Spread out and take them on!" A smile soon spread across his face. "Kimono Jets," he muttered under his breath, as soon as he saw them visually. "This should be an easy battle." He aimed at one and opened fire. "What the Heck is going on here?" He opened furiously at the jet, hoping to destroy it, but of all the lasers that hit it, none seemed to damage it.  
    Jerking his control stick, he swerved round one of them and opened fire at one that careered straight towards him. He watched as the laser hit something invisible and was then absorbed.  
"This can't be happening!" he exclaimed, realising that his lasers had no effect on the ships. "Got to try a few smart bombs." He locked-on to his target and fired. A smart bomb flew through the vacuum of space and hit the Kimono Jet. "Ha, take that you..." He trailed off, seeing the Kimono Jet emerge from the flames unscathed. "No! Retreat!" He tried contacting High Command, but suddenly found his shield gauge was dropping fast. The last thing he ever saw was the shield gauge reaching zero before everything became a brilliant white.  


    "Sir!" exclaimed one soldier, as he stood up from his station. "We've got reports from Battalion 15. The enemy jets seemd to be protected by some sort of force field."  
    A worried look spread across General Pepper's face.  
"A force field?" he echoed, as he felt a horrible sinking feeling. "Order them to try smart bombs!" He looked sideways to the Colonel that stood beside him. "Colonel Goldblum, I have a feeling that I might have made a rash mistake in sending those soldiers out," he sighed, addressing the feline.  
    "Smarts bombs have no effect, sir," came the reply from the soldier. "Shall I order them to retreat?" The soldier heard no reply. "Sir?" he asked. "Shall I order them to retreat?" Still no reply.  
    "What have I done?" muttered General Pepper after a while of complete silence. "What have I done?" He collapsed into his chair, his head in his hands.  
    The Colonel, a bovine, decided to take charge immediately.  
"Order all troops to retreat immediately!" barked the Colonel sternly. "We cannot afford to lose anymore soldiers." He glanced sideways at his superior officer, and saw that the General was too lost in misery to be of any use to them. He motioned two soldiers to approach him. "The General is feeling a bit fatigued. Please escort him back to his office."  
    "No, I'm fine!" protested Pepper, snapping out of his reverie of gloom. "I..." He trailed off, as he saw the map above him that showed real-time troop movements, and noticed that the number of Lylatian Troops were decreasing rapidly. The canine felt his heart sink, lowering his head down in shame. He turned to face the soldiers with a sad expression on his face. "I'm ready," he sighed, before he was escorted out of the room.  


    The large circular hallway was pitch black, as were the pillars that supported the edges of the domed roof. Though a hole in the roof allowed the harsh sunlight to enter, that still did nothing to alleviate the pure darkness that engulfed everything within. Scientists, wearing the Trade Guild emblem on their labcoats, rushed about a gigantic and surreal-looking machine that stood in the middle. It looked like a bunch a mass of wires, all connected to huge rings and spheres. It looked more like a piece of art than a machine and on its top, was a glass sphere.  
    Flanked by his bodyguards, Actoi and Morgue, Lord Jingoist entered the hallway and stopped about two metres away from the door, looking up at the huge machine. A sly smile spread across his scaly face as he looked at it.  
"At long last, the Titania Engine, the Shadows of Abomination, are finally mine!" exclaimed Jingoist with excitement. "I have been awaiting forever for this great machine." He couldn't wait to have it activated, so that he could finally become omniscient and like a God.  
    Actoi leaned closer in towards his master.  
"Lord Jingoist, sire, I have news that the Kimono Jets have pushed the enemy back," whispered the frog.  
    "Even more good news," hissed Jingoist in a pleased tone of voice. "I cannot believe that this is all happening." He turned to face the two bodyguards, one after another. "It makes up for the fact that you lost Tarragon."  
    Both soldiers shivered uncontrollably. They could feel the scaled lizard glaring at them with his mind. It was an unnerving feeling.  
    "I want you two to stay here and monitor the scientists' work," stated Jingoist sternly, as he turned round and walked slowly away from them. "I will be back on the Darkstar monitoring the progress of... the Kimono II Jets." He shivered with disgust at the mention of the name. Somehow, the Lylat Alliance had managed to wittle down his troops, making it impossible to fight against the Alliance without using the remote controlled fighter jets. ´Those blasted devices have taken away the beauty of war` he thought miserably, ´but they are, unfortunately, our only hope in defeating the Lylatians.` He shook his head miserably, as he left Amenophis and stepped out into the harsh sunlight of the Titanian Desert.  


    The wait had been excruciatingly long, but now they were allowed into their hangar.  
    "I don't get it, Slip'," stated Peppy, as he looked at his own Arwing. "It doesn't look as if you've done a thing with my Arwing."  
    There was a smug smile on the amphibian's face, as he looked at the others.  
"That's where you're wrong, Peppy," croaked the frog. "I've installed new lasers cannons on to these babies," he said, patting his Arwing. "The energy beams these cannons fire can disrupt the force fields on the Kimono Jets, but only if we charge them up. It takes quite a lot of energy to create these force-field busting lasers, so it might take some time before you can fire at the Kimono Jets again."  
    "That's no use!" exclaimed Bill, upon hearing what Slippy had to say. "Do you even realise how many Kimono Jets there are out there?"  
    "That's why the energy beams these babies fire are very good," replied Slippy. "You can take out several jets with these. With five of us, we'll be able to take out the entire Kimono Jet Army. One problem though. Since they are attached to the wings, you've got to be careful that you don't break the wings."  
    "Only Fox breaks his wings," joked Peppy, however the smile on his face disappeared when he realised where Fox was at the moment and what he had done to them. "I'm sorry," he apologised to the others, for reminding them that Fox was no longer amongst them or on their side. "I should have been more careful with what I said."  
    "It's okay, Peppy," said Fara reassuringly. She sighed. "Come on, let's go out and test these new weapons," she cried out in an attempt to forget about the vulpine that had once been her husband. Climbing into her cockpit, she looked around and saw the others taking the initiative. She thought back and was surprised when she realised that Katt didn't complain about Slippy tampering with her own jet. Why had she been so cool about it? Not knowing the answer, she adjusted her helmet, placing its mike in front of her muzzle. ´Fox,` she thought, ´I'll find a way of getting you back no matter what it takes. Whatever Kano did to you, I'll do everything to reverse it because I still love you.`  


    Jingoist stood facing the large screen that dominated most of the wall in front of him. On it were several green blips showing the positions of his Kimono II Jets. A frown spread across his scaly face as suddenly as the five red blips had appeared on screen.  
"What's this?" he exclaimed in surprise. "The Lylatians are sending in four pitiful fighter jets against my Kimonos?" He laughed at the thought of it. "My fighter jets will wipe them out completely."  


    "Kimono Jets incoming," announced Peppy as he spotted them on his sensors.  
    "Lock and load!" crackled Fara's voice over the com-links.  
    Peppy aimed carefully, squeezing the trigger and keeping it squeezed tightly, charging up the so-called powerful laser. ´Only when I see it work, will I praise Slippy` he thought. His fingers crossed he released the trigger and watched as a brilliant light flew from his Arwing jet and smashed into the first Kimono Jet. He watched in amazement, as the jets behind it were also engulfed in the powerful laser that seemed unstoppable.  
"Slippy, good work in installing these things!" he exclaimed.  
    "Told you they would work," said Slippy smugly, as he fired a powerful energy beam straight at a group of five Kimono Jets, destroying them with one blow and also destroying any that got in the way of the powerful energy beam, as it flew in a straight line from Slippy's Arwing. "With these things we're unstoppable!"  
    "They're using quite a lot of energy though," commented Katt as she checked her ship's stats. "If this carries on, I might just have to go back and recharge the batteries." She was worried that the new energy cannons were draining away too much energy. "Bill, look out behind you!" she cried, as she saw four Kimono Jets fly up behind the green and grey fighter jet.  
    Bill pulled back on his control stick, performing a somersault over the Kimono Jets. He watched as they did the same, following after him.  
"Oh, wise guys, eh?" he muttered, as he banked to the right, swerving immediately left. "These guys are pretty good at tailing jets." He felt his ship shudder from the lasers being fired at his jet. "I know one manoeuvre they can't imitate. Fara, could you fly my way?"  
    "No problem, Bill," she replied. She checked her sensors, as she banked to her right. The Kimono Jets that were tailing were following suit. "Well, that's just fine by me." Fara saw that she was closing in on Bill, the two of them flying straight towards a single point in front of them. "Dive!" she cried, and she pulled up on her control stick. Her Arwing flew over Bill's ship, as he flew under.  
    The two groups of Kimono Jets were unable to do the same in their cumbersome formations and they crashed into each other, bursting into flames and scattering metallic debris across the space.  


    Jingoist hissed with anger, as he watched the number of Kimono Jets decrease rapidly.  
"What is going on out there?" he cried.  
    "It seems that the Star Fox Team have found some way of destroying the Kimono II Jets, sir," came the reply from a soldier.  
    "I can see that!" roared Jingoist angrily and telekinetically he plucked the soldier up from his seat and dashed him against the metallic floor. "Anybody else want to state the blindingly obvious?" He scanned the entire room and saw that they had all turned to scrutnise their monitors carefully, and even those who weren't that busy were pretending to be incredibly over-burdened with work. Lord Jingoist whirled round to face two soldiers behind him. "Prep the Apocalypse Wing. I shall go out and destroy the Star Fox Team myself."  
    "Of course, Your Lordship," agreed one of the soldiers, before they saluted him sternly and left quickly.  
    "I will crush those puny insects and show them who's boss around here," growled Jingoist with a sinister smile on his face.

* * *

Star Fox and all related characters and places are copyrighted by Nintendo Ltd.   
Jingoist, Dr. Kano, Kofu, Miasma and Kappa are copyrighted by me.


	12. Chapter 12: Jingoist

Twisted Shadows:  
A New Star Fox Saga 

**By Wolf O'Donnell**

Author's Note: Here goes! It's another one of my What-happens-next-after-Andross-dies' fic. Once again, it's set in a different dimension from the other of my fanfics. The swearing has been censored, once again, with little asterisks that hides the second and third letters of the f**king swear word! Please send comments to me at w_donnell@hotmail.com.

* * * * *

Chapter 12: Jingoist  
FURUSUPIIDO de mawari hajimeta SUTOORII  
akaku daichi someageru  
chikyuugi ni wa garandou ni natta PARADAISU  
bokura no te de sukuidasou  
hateshinaku tsuzuku sakamichi o  
ima omoikiri kakenukete Far away

Target ~akai shougeki~  
Wada Koji

    Fara looked at the new gauge that graced her Arwing. It was still a long time before she could fire that powerful energy beam at the Kimono Jets again, and they were ganging up on her. ´Trust Slippy to get things wrong` she thought miserably, as she performed a barrel-roll, deflecting as many lasers as was possible.  
"If anyone out there isn't too busy," she began, "could you get these guys off my tail?"  
    "Sure thing, Fara," came the reply from Bill, as he flew down towards the pursuing Kimono Jets and opened fire, launching a powerful energy beam in their direction. He watched in horror, as they flew around it skilfully. "Something's wrong." He couldn't understand how he could have missed them. Perhaps it was just because he was tired. They had been fighting the Kimono Jets for two hours straight, something he hadn't done since the end of the Lylat War. "They're retreating," he stated, as he saw them flying away from them.  
    "Something's up ahead," announced Slippy, as he saw some readings on his scanners. "Looks different." He shivered as if from the cold. ´It certainly does, Toad. None of this would have happened if you had just worked for me.`  
    "So this is what remains of the Star Fox Team, eh?" chuckled a chilling voice over their com-links, as a large and black fighter jet approached them.  
    "Who are you?" asked Bill.  
    A hissing laugh was the first thing that came from the mysterious pilot.  
"I am the most powerful creature in the Universe," came the reply. "I am Ruler of the Trade Guild. I am Lord Jingoist!" He chuckled as the Kimono Jets started forming some kind of larger Kimono Jets on either side of his jet, the Apocalypse Wing. "Do you really think that you have been alone in your battles against me? I have been watching you from afar and I must say that you do not know how to truly fight. Let me show you how it's done."  
    Fara swerved out of the way, as a barrage of lasers flew from Jingoist's ship. She returned fire, only for one of the machines on either side of him to fly into the way of the lasers and absorb the attack with its force field. She gasped, as she realised that those two machines could protect Jingoist, while he picked them off like flies. ´It's an unnerving feeling, isn't it, Mrs. McCloud?` she thought, only...  
"Jingoist," she muttered angrily, realising that those weren't her thoughts. She pulled the trigger, keeping it pulled back, charging up the energy beam. "Jingoist, you're going down!" she cried.  
    "Like husband, like wife," commented Jingoist, so all could hear. "However, even your husband was powerless against Andross' telepathic attacks, and you will soon find that I am far more powerful than he could ever be."  
    Her head throbbed with an intense pain that made Fara scream out in agony and lose all sight. She did not see that one of the Kimono III jets that flanked Jingoist flew away from its formation and straight towards her. All balance was lost. Sight became taste. Sound became sight. Touch became smell. All interchanged violently, such that Fara had no idea what was going on around her. She let go of the trigger and the energy beam flew through the air, missing the Kimono III. The Arwing crashed into the Kimono Jet, its wings torn off from the main body of Arwing.  
    "Fara!" screamed Slippy, as he saw that her only form of offense and therefore defence against Jingoist's Kimonos had been stripped from her jet. He aimed carefully, knowing that if he took the Kimonos out, Jingoist would be relatively easy to defeat. However, he soon found that these Kimono Jets could hover, and they suddenly surrounded him, each facing him as they circled his Arwing. Each opened fire, and he was forced to dive underneath them. He saw that they were spiralling towards him. "Please, help me!" he cried.  
    "I'm coming Slip!" exclaimed Katt, but that was not to be. All sense of time and space were soon warped out of recognition through Jingoist's psychic power. "Jingoist! Stop messing with my mind!" she slurred, suddenly, everything became a brilliant white, before...

* * * * *

    Katt blinked once and then looked towards Falco. The both of them wore elaborate military uniforms, as was necessary for the day.  
"Congratulations," she said, as she walked up to him.  
    "Thanks, Katt," he said with a smile on his beak. "Well done, yourself. It's not everyday a girl like you graduates from Flight Academy."  
    If it weren't for her fur, she was sure that he would have seen her blush.  
"It was nothing, Falc'," she said as modestly as possible. "It's no big deal, really." Katt looked at him and smiled. "Of course, I have no doubts about your abilities. You are, after all, the son of..." A finger was suddenly placed against her lips.  
    "Please, Katt," he said, almost begging, "don't mention it here." He looked around him in an almost paranoid fashion before moving closer to her. "Katt, you know how I don't want people to know about my past."  
    Katt nodded in reply.  
"I'm sorry," she apologised. "I..." The feline trailed off. Something wasn't quite right here. She bit her lip, as she thought carefully, not only about the feelings that she was feeling towards him but also about... It escaped her and she began to wonder what she was so worked up about. "I wasn't thinking properly," she finished with a sigh. "Not thinking properly at all." Strong arms embraced her, and she suddenly felt so safe. "Falco, promise me one thing..."  
    "One thing?" he asked her with a puzzled look on his face and he looked deeper into her eyes. "Of course, Katt."  
    "Promise me that you won't get hurt," she said. "You're not just a politically important person, Falco. You're important to me as well, sugar. I love you." She hugged him back tightly.

* * * * *

    Bill opened fire on Jingoist's ship, only for his opponent to fly above the lasers and fly perpindicularly to him. The canine pulled back on the control stick, the nose of his fighter jet rising up to point towards the enemy. He flew up towards Jingoist, firing furiously at his opponent, but the Apocalypse Wing was far too quick. He cursed loudly, as he saw Jingoist's ship dodge each laser. His ship suddenly shuddered. He looked to his left and he saw one of the Kimono III jets flying straight towards him. ´Now you shall see my wrath, Grey` he thought, as the Kimono III jet opened fire on his fighter jet once more.

* * * * *

    Falco pushed her away from him.  
"I don't believe that you betrayed my trust like that!" he shouted angrily.  
    Katt felt hurt, as she watched him turn his back to her and walk away.  
"Falco, I'm sorry!" she cried out to him once again. "I am so sorry! Please forgive me." She ran after him, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not keep up with him. Giving up, she watched as her avian lover receded into the distance. "Please, Falco, come back!" she shouted out to him. Tears streamed down her furry cheeks, as she watched him disappear. "This can't be happening," she cried. "Not again."

* * * * *

    Sobbing miserably, Katt flew aimlessly through space. She did not see anything, as she flew in a circle around the battle between Jingoist and the remnants of the Star Fox Team. She saw nothing but her miserable past.  
"Falco!" she screamed.  
    "Jingoist, what are you doing to Katt?" cried a voice over the com-links.  
    Jingoist turned round and saw an Arwing fly past Katt's ship and straight towards him. He saw lasers fly from the Arwing and straight at his Apocalypse Wing. He did a barrel-roll deflecting all of the lasers and then fired back, as the Kimono III Jets flanked his side once again. They too opened fire, and a barrage of lasers flew towards Jingoist's opponent. He watched as the Arwing dodged the lasers, weaving around each individual one.  
"Not a bad pilot, if I must say so myself," stated Jingoist. "But still not better than me." He pushed with his mind and the Arwing flew off course. He chuckled and then got a glimpse of the pilot, as he flew over the ship. "Lombardi!"  
    Falco struggled to right the Arwing. He knew that he was under some psychic influence and knew that he had to do something to counter-act Jingoist's attempts to pervert his very own senses.  
"Come on, Falco, you can do it," he told himself. "Youy can beat that guy." He saw all three enemy jets open fire. ´Kamen no shita no sugao wa wasureta subete wo tsutsumikomu mugen no yami no you ni` he thought, as he flew around them. ´Forgotten is the face beneath this mask like the endless darkness that engulfs everything` he thought, translating the very words he had heard whispered in his mind. The falcon gasped when he realised the truth. "How'd you know?" he whispered to Jingoist.  
    "That is my own secret, Prince Lombardi," chuckled Jingoist in reply. "Oh, but your hands are too stained with blood to lead your nation now; not that it exists anymore."  
    "Shut up!" cried Falco, as he U-turned and opened fire on Jingoist's Apocalypse Wing. He cursed angrily, when his opponent was suddenly shielded by the two Kimono III jets.  
    From behind the safety of the Kimono III Jets, Jingoist made a U-turn. The jets flew apart, flanking his side and all three fighter jets fired, their lasers flying through the air straight towards Falco.  
    With great skill, Falco dodged the lasers, firing back at Jingoist, only for the Kimono III Jets to fly into the way and absorb the lasers. He gasped in surprise, as Jingoist's Apocalypse Wing emerged from behind the two Kimono III Jets and flew faster. It smashed straight into his Arwing, making it shudder and tearing off the left wing. The avian suddenly found his fighter jet banking to the left. He looked back, as the two Kimono III Jets flew to Jingoist, protecting the rear of his ship from attack. ´There has to be someway of beating him` thought Falco, as he U-turned and flew after Jingoist.  
    "There is no way you can beat me," said Jingoist, as if he had heard Falco's thoughts, which- in all possibility- could have happened. "I suggest that you surrender, Lombardi."  
    "Never!" shouted Falco defiantly.  
    "You are certainly a true warrior indeed," commented Lord Jingoist. "Lylat certainly has bred a lot of noble fighters. I'm impressed."  
    "Someone needs to shut you up," stated Falco flatly, as he heard the lizard whisper in his mind again. He watched as Jingoist flew back towards him gracefully. ´He flies like Fox` he thought grimly. A thought suddenly came to him. ´He flies like Fox!` He noticed that the two Kimono III jets also flew just like him. A smile spread across his beak. He knew exactly how to beat this tyrant once and for all.  


    There was a loud bang and both Actoi and Morgue fell to the ground. Fox stepped over their carcasses, dressed in an elaborate General's uniform and looked towards the Titania Engine and then towards Oikonny. The vulpine looked down and saw the smoking gun in the baboon's hand, a smile spreading across his muzzle. He turned to face the bewildered scientists that had stopped their work to stare at him.  
"I take it that you have been ordered to get this machine working by Lord Jingoist?" shouted Fox. He looked and saw that no one stirred. "Well, am I right or not?" He reached for his gun. "Let's have some feedback, people!"  
    "You're correct," said one of the scientists in a displeased tone of voice that suggested defiance.  
    "Thank you," thanked Fox with a toothy grin. "Well, if you all value your lives, I suggest you do so, but not for Jingoist. I want you to activate the Shadows of Abominations for me and for me alone!" He saw the looks on the faces of the scientists. "I can see that you are reluctant to do so. What if I told you that I know how to activate it, and that you can share in its power?"  


    Jingoist's Apocalypse Wing flew high above Falco, barrel-rolling as it did so, deflecting Falco's lasers.  
"You cannot defeat me, you pitiful bird!" cried Lord Jingoist. The two Kimono III jets on either side of him U-turned and flew down towards Falco's Arwing.  
    "Shoot!" he cried, as he saw them flying straight down towards him. ´If only I had one of those special laser cannons installed` he thought grimly, as he manoeuvered his Arwing around the lasers that hurtled towards him. "I won't let you win, Jingoist!" A throbbing headache suddenly made him lose all control of his Arwing. It felt as if someone was trying to drill a hole through his skull. Several lasers smashed into his Arwing, tearing off the wings of his ship. ´Time to die, Lombardi` a voice whispered in his mind.  
    The Apocalypse Wing curved around, flying behind Falco's Arwing. Jingoist pulled the trigger, lasers firing out of his cannon and straight towards the Arwing, each one pummelling into its metallic hull. The two Kimono III Jets and Jingoist, flew towards each other, firing at the Arwing in between them.  


    Morgue crawled out of the ruins of Amenophis and out into the scorching desert sun.  
"Lord Jingoist, sir," he croaked, as he spoke into his com-link quietly. "Lord Jingoist..."  


    "Lord Jingoist," crackled Morgue's voice over Jingoist's com-link. "The scientists are close to activating the Shadows... but McCloud is here at Amenophis and he wishes to use the Shadows himself."  
    "What?" shouted Jingoist in disbelief. "How could that damned fox have got through?" He pulled back on his control stick and did a U-turn, heading back towards Titania's atmosphere. "We'll finish this another time, Lombardi," he said, as his Kimono III Jets flew after him. "I have more important things to attend to." He paused a while, a smile spreading across his scaly face. "It seems as if your team's captain has infiltrated my defences."  


    Fox aimed and fired. He looked down at Morgue's now motionless and lifeless body.  
"Oikonny!" he shouted loudly, and the monkey scuttled out. He turned to face the baboon. "Get this corpse out of here and tell the troops to prepare for his Lordship's' arrival." He turned back around and headed back into the temple of Amenophis.

* * *

Star Fox and all related characters and places are copyrighted by Nintendo Ltd.   
Jingoist, Dr. Kano, Kofu, Miasma and Kappa are copyrighted by me.


End file.
